Troubles seem to be hiding around every corner. People rising up against you and your faith seem to be at every turn. Those you once counted as a friend might be turning against you, and you have no place that you feel safe. As you watch, or hear the evening news, you are filled with fear as you see where this world is heading. Tension fills your work environment, and it seems that every day is a battle to reach quitting time. People in your church are having struggles with inter-personal matters, and there seems to be a great deal of pressure even when you are at church. These phrases may have run through your mind recently.
Today I read a great verse of hope and comfort. The psalmist wrote, “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word” (Psalm 119:114). When times get tough for me … when I cannot sleep because of concerns on my heart … when I am facing a situation that I cannot seem to find an answer for … I run to my “hiding place” … my faithful friend, the Bible. I have never known anything that compares with the Word of God for calming my fears; for providing direction; for comfort; or for wisdom for the proper response to a difficult question.
I find many today who want an instant answer to the problems they are facing. I have found that sometimes it takes time for God to reveal to me the answer to what I am facing. Sometimes I need to read beyond my normal reading schedule to find an answer. But, sometimes God reveals the answer to me in the first few verses I read. Regardless of how quickly I find the answer to my problem in the Word of God, I always know that the answer is there.
Sometimes I am in such a big hurry, that I don’t slow down enough for God to speak to me. Sometimes I solicit advice from others before turning to the Bible, and it always hurts me in the long run. I have noticed that God repeatedly told people in the Bible to wait, and He would reveal himself. Sometimes when trouble comes, a person just needs a good hiding place. I am so happy that my hiding place is the Bible.
Sometimes I am impatient, or become too cumbered with the cares of the world to run to the Bible. When I finally come to my senses, and sit down with an opened Bible in front of me, I feel that sense of comfort and relief that only comes when I am connected with my Heavenly Father through His Word. If you need a place to hide, don’t run to the pharmacy for another pill, open the Word of God … He is waiting for you there!