Day 392

Day 392

Finding the ultimate refuge

I had been reading this book and is revelating from this chapter "That sinking feeling"

At some point of time in our lives, we will come to a point of sinking feeling.

In the cave where King David was, David said to God, You are my refuge. Of course we know the rest of the story that David didnt die in the cave. We know there is a crown ahead of him. Eventually he became one of the heros of faith in the written bible.

We know the story but David does not. For all he knows, this cave is as good as it is going to get. But he makes a discovery. For he has a refuge.

Sometimes when we are in a cave, and no human action is able to get you out of it, There is something you can't fix, cant heal, or can't escape, all you can do is to trust onto certain promises made by God. In my context, I trust God, not because of I am a christian, it is because He found me sitting in my own cave crying one day.

In life, everybody has their own God, or a refuge to seek in. I am not an extreme believer nor am I an ageist. I reasons and walk my own path of faith with one only underlyning reason, my encounter with my almighty Father, Spirit and Son.

Finding the ultimate refuge for me is in my God meaning, I am so immersed in his presence, so convinced of his goodness, and so devoted to his lordship that I find the cave is perfectly safe place to dwell in for he is here with me.

Coming back to a story I read,

Here's a story about a man who attended a graduate school in psychology and wanted to get married. He was quite healthy himself emotionally but seemed to attract dating partners who are not serious. This became discouraging after awhile. He was in the dating cave. When he became an university professor, he used to teach abnormal psychopathology with a twist. He would illustrate each major catergory of psychopathology by describing one of his girlfriends. It was one fo the most highly attended classes in the campus. He refused to make a foolish choice to get married for the sake of getting married. He just waited patiently on the Lord.

He finally met a girl who would become his wife, she was vibrant, a devoted christian and an emotional healthy person with superb relational skills. She, like him had a Ph.D in clinical psychology. This man finally emerged from the cave. But it was not the last time he would find himself there.

After they were married, the they wanted to have children very much. But she had breast cancer. It looked as though it is not going to happen. It was cave time again. But then she recovered! Their time in the cave was over. Eventually they had a beautiful baby girl.

A few years later they had another child. After 7 years her breast cancer returned. This time it was in her bones and inoperable. And on the answering machine, when she left the message along with pain, anxiety and fear, this is what she expressed:

"I have never felt God's presence more strongly or have been more sure of God's goodness than I am now"

This lady said the same statment of what Jayesslee had said when their mom were suffering from cancer.

Likewise for myself,

I have never felt the strong presence of God if not for the past life and death tribulants I've went through. God is good and he is always good.

Sometimes there is no way out of the cave. In those times all you can do is find refuge in God. Then you come to learn that God knows about caves. Because Jesus suffered like us and for us. The son of David understood that sinking feeling more than David did. No one has ever descended the way Jesus did.

Jesus not only lost his position and status as a well known teacher, his safety and security. He lost not only his best friend, but all his friends, in spite of his teachings and warnings. His life too was endangered.

His failure got worst. He went to the cross and he died. All his dreams all all the dreams inspired, appeared to die with him. What started as a shining success ended in an ignoble failure.

Dear all friends, no matter what you are facing today that you maybe in a certain kind of cave, there is hope. Because you are still alive. Your story hasn't end.

For when the body of Jesus is put in a cave, that was their biggest mistake. His body was there for 3 days. But they could not keep him there. They forgot that God does some of his best work in caves. The cave is where God resurrects dead things.

I do not know what cave you are in right now, maybe a dead relationship; disappointment in your partner; a lost of dream; a dying hope or broken marriage, thinking that you are facing a dead end. Maybe it has become apparent that the greatest longing of your life will never see the light of day.

I want to encourage you, there is hope. For in whatever dead situations we are in, there is a God up there, waiting for your signal to surrender your dead situations into his hands, in await of resuraction.

Maybe like me, you see an end in certain areas of your life, but I want to tell you today, if a plain common jane like me didn't give up. Don't give up too.

Here's my little prayer,

God,

I trust in you and I know and I know there is nothing you cannot do. Come and meet me this cave, give me an encounter with you, show me the way and I will walk. Breathe life into the things that I thought they were dead, bring them to life again. I commit my situations into your hands. Walk with me, so I do not give up. In Jesus name, Amen.

Credit this blogpost ot John Ortberg. If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat.