June 30-Refuge
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Observe what it is saying.
Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov was born in Soviet Russia and raised in Ukraine. He has an MA in history and a Ph.D. in religious studies. Gary S. Hoag serves as President and CEO of Global Trust Partners. He received his Ph.D. in New Testament from Trinity College, Bristol, UK. They have written a devotional called Refuge. They wrote the devotional book because they want everyone in the world to know the profound biblical truth that sustains and strengthens us. It relates to every person everywhere. It fits in every situation. Refuge by definition, refers to a person or place of shelter, sanctuary, or support in times of need.
“We had people needing refuge in mind as the audience of this book. That includes persecuted, war-torn, oppressed, and suffering people. And yet, since we all endure difficulties and need to learn to take refuge in God, we wrote the book in such a way that everyone can benefit. This devotional is a reflective journey that explores who God is, how God works, and how He invites us to respond to Him. (The content of this e-book can be shared freely under the Creative Commons agreement.)
Relate it to your life
If I truly believe that God is my refuge, always with me in every trouble, then I can take great comfort and hope He is with me today to face each challenge.
Do something.
Father, may I take You at Your word and believe this incredible news that You are my refuge and always there to help me with every problem. Amen.
July 1-Refuge
Write out the Scripture.
Isaiah 4:5-6, Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Observe what it is saying.
As we begin to explore the idea of refuge, we do so with trepidation. We do not want to dismiss or minimize pain that you might feel about very real and hard circumstances. Rather, we want to meet you in your place of trial with profound truth. We have endured the pain of the loss of loved ones. We have experienced life in a war zone in a time of active conflict. We have felt fury, betrayal, and abandonment. But, by the grace of God, we found refuge and want to point the way for others. Having lived through tough experiences, we felt led to write this book. We do not know what storms buffet you or what enemies assail you, but we do know this. You can find shelter and shade under the canopy. Why? God is only a refuge for those who assemble under His canopy. Join us there. It’s a safe place.
(Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 1, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
What is going on in my life today that I need to meet under God’s canopy?
Do something.
Lord, I come to You with my pain and problems. Give me shelter and shade. Teach me what it means to make You my refuge. Amen.
July 2-Refuge
Write out the Scripture.
Exodus 34:6-7, And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Observe what it is saying.
Though no one can see God and live, God passed in front of Moses to reveal Himself to humanity. Today’s Scripture illustrates the identity of the Lord, our God, from that scene. Note three things we can learn from this text. First, God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love, faithfulness, and forgiveness. He is all we need and more! Second, He does not leave the guilty unpunished. We can trust Him to hold people accountable for their actions. Third, He even addresses systemic sins that span multiple generations. Now that you have read this, you can say that the Lord your God has passed in front of you. See how good God is, what He looks at, and how He promises to address sin and injustice. A look back at history shows that nations rise and fall, but His reign endures forever. (Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 2, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
Do I believe God has passed in front of me with these beautiful attributes He wants me to know and experience from Him? Which attribute do I need to see and hear in particular today?
Do something.
My Lord and my God, thanks for passing in front of me. Thanks for Your grace toward me. I trust You to deal with the guilty. Amen.
July 3-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
Exodus 14:15-16, Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
Observe what it is saying.
In reading this famous scene from the life of Moses, you discover the faith God expects of His servants. He told Moses to tell the people to go forward. That’s what we get to do in hopeless situations. Notice that this instruction came before the sea parted allowing them to pass on dry ground. Consider how counterintuitive God’s ways appear! In a bad time, we want to retreat or run and hide. God tells His servants to instruct His people to go forward. What might that mean for you today? Might you comfort a person who has experienced a great loss? Could you listen to a soul who feels lost or confused? Or could you help a person pick up the pieces of life after a tragedy? In each case, you cannot solve their problems, but you can inspire them to go forward. When they do, the Lord does the impossible. He parts the sea. Whether you fit the role of Moses in the story or the people staring at the sea, take heart and go forward. Watch how God will work. (Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 3, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
Wherever I am in God’s story, He tells me to keep going forward with Him and uses me to encourage others to do the same.
Do something.
Lord, help me go forward one step at a time, trusting You. Amen.
July 4-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
Exodus 20:1-2, And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Observe what it is saying.
God is a Way Maker. As the modern song states, He is also a Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, and a Light in the darkness. In today’s Scripture, we see two more traits that portray Him as our Refuge. God is a Bondage Breaker. His people endured slavery in Egypt for 430 years. Over that time frame, they developed harmful habits and bad thought patterns, and the evil one established spiritual strongholds in their lives. God broke all that and gave them something in return. God is a Freedom Giver. He set His people free and gave them the Law through Moses. It outlined the parameters of relationship with Him. He also led them through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. He did these things back then and still works this way now. God can serve as Way Maker, Bondage Breaker, and Freedom Giver for you. He can make a way. He can deliver you from temporal strife and spiritual bondage. He can free you to grasp life with Him right now through Jesus and the Promised Land of heaven someday. (Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 4, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
What God has wonderfully done for others, He can do again in my life today.
Do something.
God, show me the way, release me from bondage, and set me free to experience life with You through Jesus Christ. Amen.
July 5-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
Amos 3:6-7, When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? 7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
Observe what it is saying.
We serve a trustworthy and dependable God. He reveals His ways to His servants, the prophets, who tell us to pursue righteousness or, in plain terms, the right way to live. The prophets remind us that God allows troubles to point everyone back to Him. This helps us make sense of the circumstances in life when nothing around us seems right. When sirens blare and disasters befall us, we do not need to fear or worry. We can trust that God has chosen to unfold His plan. At that moment, we must listen to the prophets. Prophets should not primarily be understood as people who predict the future but often explain the present by considering how God has revealed Himself in the past. Prophets are recorded in Scripture and, today, appear as those who are spiritually gifted with such a prophetic role. Spend time with them, listen, and learn from them to know God deeply like them. (Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 5 edited, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
Prophets are spiritually gifted to help us understand the ways of God in our world today.
Do something.
Father, thank you for revealing Your plans through holy prophets in accordance with the truth of Your word. Amen.
Write out the Scripture.
Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Observe what it is saying.
Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov was born in Soviet Russia and raised in Ukraine. He has an MA in history and a Ph.D. in religious studies. Gary S. Hoag serves as President and CEO of Global Trust Partners. He received his Ph.D. in New Testament from Trinity College, Bristol, UK. They have written a devotional called Refuge. They wrote the devotional book because they want everyone in the world to know the profound biblical truth that sustains and strengthens us. It relates to every person everywhere. It fits in every situation. Refuge by definition, refers to a person or place of shelter, sanctuary, or support in times of need.
“We had people needing refuge in mind as the audience of this book. That includes persecuted, war-torn, oppressed, and suffering people. And yet, since we all endure difficulties and need to learn to take refuge in God, we wrote the book in such a way that everyone can benefit. This devotional is a reflective journey that explores who God is, how God works, and how He invites us to respond to Him. (The content of this e-book can be shared freely under the Creative Commons agreement.)
Relate it to your life
If I truly believe that God is my refuge, always with me in every trouble, then I can take great comfort and hope He is with me today to face each challenge.
Do something.
Father, may I take You at Your word and believe this incredible news that You are my refuge and always there to help me with every problem. Amen.
July 1-Refuge
Write out the Scripture.
Isaiah 4:5-6, Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Observe what it is saying.
As we begin to explore the idea of refuge, we do so with trepidation. We do not want to dismiss or minimize pain that you might feel about very real and hard circumstances. Rather, we want to meet you in your place of trial with profound truth. We have endured the pain of the loss of loved ones. We have experienced life in a war zone in a time of active conflict. We have felt fury, betrayal, and abandonment. But, by the grace of God, we found refuge and want to point the way for others. Having lived through tough experiences, we felt led to write this book. We do not know what storms buffet you or what enemies assail you, but we do know this. You can find shelter and shade under the canopy. Why? God is only a refuge for those who assemble under His canopy. Join us there. It’s a safe place.
(Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 1, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
What is going on in my life today that I need to meet under God’s canopy?
Do something.
Lord, I come to You with my pain and problems. Give me shelter and shade. Teach me what it means to make You my refuge. Amen.
July 2-Refuge
Write out the Scripture.
Exodus 34:6-7, And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Observe what it is saying.
Though no one can see God and live, God passed in front of Moses to reveal Himself to humanity. Today’s Scripture illustrates the identity of the Lord, our God, from that scene. Note three things we can learn from this text. First, God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love, faithfulness, and forgiveness. He is all we need and more! Second, He does not leave the guilty unpunished. We can trust Him to hold people accountable for their actions. Third, He even addresses systemic sins that span multiple generations. Now that you have read this, you can say that the Lord your God has passed in front of you. See how good God is, what He looks at, and how He promises to address sin and injustice. A look back at history shows that nations rise and fall, but His reign endures forever. (Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 2, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
Do I believe God has passed in front of me with these beautiful attributes He wants me to know and experience from Him? Which attribute do I need to see and hear in particular today?
Do something.
My Lord and my God, thanks for passing in front of me. Thanks for Your grace toward me. I trust You to deal with the guilty. Amen.
July 3-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
Exodus 14:15-16, Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
Observe what it is saying.
In reading this famous scene from the life of Moses, you discover the faith God expects of His servants. He told Moses to tell the people to go forward. That’s what we get to do in hopeless situations. Notice that this instruction came before the sea parted allowing them to pass on dry ground. Consider how counterintuitive God’s ways appear! In a bad time, we want to retreat or run and hide. God tells His servants to instruct His people to go forward. What might that mean for you today? Might you comfort a person who has experienced a great loss? Could you listen to a soul who feels lost or confused? Or could you help a person pick up the pieces of life after a tragedy? In each case, you cannot solve their problems, but you can inspire them to go forward. When they do, the Lord does the impossible. He parts the sea. Whether you fit the role of Moses in the story or the people staring at the sea, take heart and go forward. Watch how God will work. (Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 3, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
Wherever I am in God’s story, He tells me to keep going forward with Him and uses me to encourage others to do the same.
Do something.
Lord, help me go forward one step at a time, trusting You. Amen.
July 4-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
Exodus 20:1-2, And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Observe what it is saying.
God is a Way Maker. As the modern song states, He is also a Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, and a Light in the darkness. In today’s Scripture, we see two more traits that portray Him as our Refuge. God is a Bondage Breaker. His people endured slavery in Egypt for 430 years. Over that time frame, they developed harmful habits and bad thought patterns, and the evil one established spiritual strongholds in their lives. God broke all that and gave them something in return. God is a Freedom Giver. He set His people free and gave them the Law through Moses. It outlined the parameters of relationship with Him. He also led them through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. He did these things back then and still works this way now. God can serve as Way Maker, Bondage Breaker, and Freedom Giver for you. He can make a way. He can deliver you from temporal strife and spiritual bondage. He can free you to grasp life with Him right now through Jesus and the Promised Land of heaven someday. (Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 4, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
What God has wonderfully done for others, He can do again in my life today.
Do something.
God, show me the way, release me from bondage, and set me free to experience life with You through Jesus Christ. Amen.
July 5-Solomon’s Story
Write out the Scripture.
Amos 3:6-7, When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? 7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
Observe what it is saying.
We serve a trustworthy and dependable God. He reveals His ways to His servants, the prophets, who tell us to pursue righteousness or, in plain terms, the right way to live. The prophets remind us that God allows troubles to point everyone back to Him. This helps us make sense of the circumstances in life when nothing around us seems right. When sirens blare and disasters befall us, we do not need to fear or worry. We can trust that God has chosen to unfold His plan. At that moment, we must listen to the prophets. Prophets should not primarily be understood as people who predict the future but often explain the present by considering how God has revealed Himself in the past. Prophets are recorded in Scripture and, today, appear as those who are spiritually gifted with such a prophetic role. Spend time with them, listen, and learn from them to know God deeply like them. (Michael (Mykhailo) Cherenkov and Gary S. Hoag, page 5 edited, Refuge)
Relate it to your life.
Prophets are spiritually gifted to help us understand the ways of God in our world today.
Do something.
Father, thank you for revealing Your plans through holy prophets in accordance with the truth of Your word. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotionals