“Covering For Today” is available in Holy Hen House’s Autumn 2022 issue: Refuge + Strength. “Covering For Today” looks at how the way we learn to trust God deepens with time. Regardless of what is going on around us, God is more than able to provide covering and strength for today. Read the full article below.

Covering For Today

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’” –Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV)

What comes to your mind when you think of running to God for refuge? Is it heightened anxiety, as though desperately running from something, hoping that God will save you? Or does the idea usher in the confidence of knowing that you are running to the One who never fails?

I’m finding that the way I see God’s refuge is changing the longer I walk with Him. It used to be filled with more anxiety than faith — hoping that He would hear me, hoping that He would help.

As time goes on, though, I find myself having more of a foundation to stand on. More confidence that when I run to God, He’s there. I still feel the anxiety and wrestle with those questioning thoughts, but I know who I’m running to and I know He’s going to help me.

It’s that trust that makes finding refuge in our God so much sweeter — running to God isn’t an anxious risk, hoping for a favorable answer. Instead, running to the Lord for refuge becomes an act of faith, acknowledging that whatever is going on around us is not out of His control. We walk toward Him knowing that He is where our strength is to move forward.

God is where we find both our belonging and the courage to stand when we are the outcast. He is our rest to not grow weary when the ups and downs of life batter on our souls. Yet He is also our strength to stand up and go back into the world to love people the way He teaches us, proclaiming the truth no matter what the cost.

We are not placing our hope in a fickle god or a trendy but empty facade. No, the God we run to for refuge is the same God who heard David’s prayers for safety, Hannah’s prayer for Samuel, Paul’s prayers for relief, and Jesus’ prayers as He laid down His life yet prayed for the strength and unity of His followers to come.

This is the same God who has seen everything from our first steps to our greatest challenges, and He has sustained us through every moment we have faced to this point. He is our Good Shepherd, leading us by still waters, restoring our souls. A mighty and holy God, yet one who loves us so much that He chose to not leave us in our helplessness.

Wherever we find ourselves today, we can take heart knowing and believing that our refuge is not found on shaky ground. Rather, our refuge is found in our almighty God who holds all things in His hands. He is more than able to provide covering and strength for today.

Father,

Thank you for being a refuge for us and for teaching us what it means to find refuge in You. It’s incredible the way You love us even through our wrestlings and fears. Please teach us how to trust You more, laying it all down, even our fears, so we can hear what You have to say. Please forgive us for the times our fears are given more attention than Your truth. Teach us how to live fearlessly under your covering, so we can live the lives You have purposed for us, all for Your glory. We love You and we thank You.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

This is Holy Hen House’s final magazine, and they did a beautiful job offering encouragement to continue looking to God no matter what. You can check out this season’s magazine here.