In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. - Psalm 71:1
When things come up in my life, oftentimes my first instinct is to take action and correct whatever may be wrong. This is true for most men. It's a natural male tendency to want to fix what's broken. I'm sure some of the ladies reading this can relate to this tendency as well.
The problem is that my first instinct isn't necessarily my best course of action. An impulsive reaction to a situation can sometimes make it much worse. Instead of seeking the Lord and asking for guidance, we may rely on our wealth, our reputation, or our own know-how to get a job done. But often this can lead to negative results.
Consider Jonah. His first instinct was to run. In fact, when God called Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh, he went as far in the opposite direction as possible. And it was only due to his eventual acceptance of God's will that an entire city was spared the Lord's fury. Jonah knew he had a difficult task set before him, but he fled from God instead of seeking shelter from God.
How different the story would have been if Jonah had simply taken refuge in the Lord from the beginning! Jonah could have spared himself a lot of misery and shame by finding refuge in the Lord.
How much of our own anguish has been caused by an unwillingness to submit to God? Sometimes we would rather stand in the cold alone than experience warmth and safety in the sanctuary of the Lord.
PRAYER CHALLENGE: Ask God for refuge today by granting you strength and peace of mind.
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