Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."¹

Pardon my sentimentality but for the first time in my life I have a dog . . . a small but beautiful Shih Tze puppy named Addie (short for Adelaide where I last lived in Australia). My sons both had dogs when they were kids and I loved their pets, but having my own dog (Joy's and mine) is something else. My mother not only had a dog for a pet when I was growing up, but also a pet parrot (a pink and gray galah) that had its wing cut so it pretty much had access throughout our home. It was fascinating watching it waddle along following behind my mother wherever she went. It was amazing how attached it was to her. And now, as a senior, I with Joy, are the proud owners of a dog that we adore and where there is a mutual attachment.

The point I am making, however, is that we are Addie's security. I have seen her, when she was afraid of a bigger dog, almost fly into my arms, she would leap so hard to reach my arms. The same thing happens when we take her for a walk. When she is afraid, she just wants to be in our arms. For Addie, our arms are her security.

For the Christian when we are afraid, may we always remember that underneath are the everlasting arms of God for he is always there for us. He is our safetyâ€"our security for both time and eternity. What a blessed hope we have because of Jesus.

When King Saul was so extremely jealous of David that he was hunting him down to kill him, David was certainly justified in being afraid. But he said, "The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"²

May God help you and me to have the same trust in God as David did. He's the same God and offers the same security.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, when I am afraid, please help me to remember your Word that says, 'The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them'³ and that 'Underneath are your everlasting arms.'¹ Thank you for your wonderful assurance of always being with me, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Deuteronomy 33:27 (NIV)
2. Psalm 118:6 (NIV)
3. Psalm 145:18-19 (NIV).

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