by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Finding Christ to Be Our Strength

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“God is our refuge and STRENGTH, a very present help in trouble.” 
Psalm 46:1 English Standard Version

In part one of, “Where Do You Park Your Car?” we mused about God being our REFUGE. Not only is God our refuge, he is also our STRENGTH. When we think about living life to the fullest, we realize that we can’t do life alone. In this crazy year that is 2020, we have come face to face with our lack of strength to do anything about a virus.

We struggle to see God as our strength. Some of us reading this blog have been critically impacted by this virus. We’ve contracted COVID-19, maybe even spending time in the hospital on a ventilator. We’ve lost jobs, quarantined ourselves, and limited our social contacts with others.

We might feel like the window of our lives has been smashed to pieces and all we want to do is hide behind the fence of God’s protection.

There is a tension between finding God to be our refuge as well as our strength. One is about hiding and being comforted. The other is about engaging a broken, sin-filled world.

Our baptismal call is not only a call to find shelter under God’s wings, but a call to gird on the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and engage the world around us.

What does it mean to gird God’s Word to our side? It sounds like we’re to fight all the bad people out there, yet in the context in which Paul writes this command (Ephesians 6:10-20), he’s speaking about spiritual warfare. We need strength not to fight other humans, but to fight against the forces of darkness.

It’s ironic how this strength comes from the One who accepted our weakness, but is also the One who gives us strength. The One tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15), knows our weakness, forgives our weakness, and strengthens us for the battle.

Where do you park your car? I pray it is the garage of God’s refuge and strength.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado