Nougat 28

Hello there

I pray we find comfort and direction in today’s Holy Nougat

“The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude” Psalms‬ ‭46:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sometimes in the chaos, we feel terribly, inconsolably and utterly alone. Whether it is the pain that accompanies loss or the sense that we (singular) are alone in our struggle, we’ve been there. And when it seems like evil is flourishing, reliance on God becomes a challenge. For some, it is hard to find comfort in the Word, when the world is burning.

I hasten to remind us that God’s chosen people experienced Four Hundred Years of bondage before Moses rose up to lead them to the Land of Promise. Moses’s parents’ generation would not have been the only ones under pharaoh. Theirs was the one to inherit the promise. We cannot lose hope. We cannot allow how we feel to cost us our deliverance! Many might have cried out to God; but only One couple is mentioned having added action to their cries. Action that seems to have been God-ordained.

Jacob was also a man of action. His name tells the story. It means ‘supplanter’ or ‘heel catcher’. As a heel catcher, Jacob was a strategist. He determined to leave his father-in-law’s household shortly after he realized that he was tricked; yet he remained in his employ for 20 years accumulating what he needed to go back to his land of Promise. He understood that even when our world is in chaos, God is in our midst.

And, when confronted by a man during his night alone, Jacob cared not whether it was man or spirit; he knew that he was holding on. He had received God’s promise, and was not forfeiting it without a fight. Jacob was steadfast. And, in holding on, he received a blessing Far Exceeding the one he ‘grabbed’ from his father!

One noteworthy thing about verse 7 is the fact that it is repeated at the very end of the Psalm. Bible scholars advise that when a word or phrase is repeated, the reader should take heed. The statement is, ‘the Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge.’ What a consolation for us in these times! The verse is preceded by contrasting descriptions in each instance. Here, it is a reminder that even in the chaotic circumstances; God is with us. At the end of the Psalm, it follows an imperative to be still.

Could it be that we are being reminded of God’s awesome might regardless of the state of our lives? In the chaos, the Original Warrior is with us, the One Who directs the armies of Heaven; in the still of the storm, the Head of the Heavens is still with us. In God, we always find where to hide.

So, whether we are in the deluge of the storm or trying to find our bearings in the eye of the storm; we listen for God’s direction, finding solace in the knowledge that God is God and in control.

In Christ’s love and grace . . .