Faith

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Deep in the Word

Recalling Scripture is a more than a test in Bible trivia. For some it is a favourite pastime that serves to keep the mind and soul sharp, while for others it is a constant source of instruction and encouragement.

Stories are told around the world of the persecuted church who, bereft of the possibility of having entire New Testaments, have feasted upon the scraps of pages that were available. But they were far the richer for having committed to memory those portions of Scripture.

Ask the average Joe what it says in John 3:16 or Psalm 23:1 and most would have no trouble quoting it. But there are some great and noteworthy verses that are less well known. One of these verses is found in Nahum chapter 1 verse 7: “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”
Buried in the middle of a tirade of righteous anger against the city of Nineveh, we find this nugget of truth.

Nahum tells simply and profoundly that the Lord is good, that He is a refuge and that He cares for those who trust Him. Maybe it was the contrast that struck him – the Ninevites were a dangerous, and notoriously evil people who cared for no one.

In this one phrase Nahum hits upon the fact that not only is He essentially and fundamentally good, but that He’s good to us. Sometimes we are given to doubting the goodness of God due to the circumstances of life. But rather than running away from Him and trying to sort things out ourselves; rather than running around Him jabbing away with accusations about His unfair dealings with us; this Scripture encourages us to run to Him as a refuge in times of trouble.

This is a hard lesson to learn. It is one that is at the heart of Christian discipleship because the Lord brings it to our notice time and again: the Lord IS good! Right back in the Garden of Eden we see that the thing the serpent does is to focus on the character of God. He knows that if we distrust the character of God, our relationship with Him and our faith in Him will be weakened. “Surely God wouldn’t do that to you, would He?”

Well here’s a verse to commit to memory and let it then seep into your heart.
Dwell on it, live with it and let it burrow its way into the fibre of your being. God is good – believe it. He is a refuge in times of trouble – run to Him. He does care for those who trust in Him – rejoice in it!

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