Psalm 9:9, 10
The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, 
a refuge in times of trouble. 
Those who know your name trust in you, 
for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you. (NLT)

GOD’s a safe-house for the battered, 
a sanctuary during bad times. 
The moment you arrive, you relax; 
you’re never sorry you knocked. (MSG)

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Some people I know and some I only know through friends are going through the toughest of times. Hard is not hard enough of a word to describe their challenges. Yet, in this most painful moment of their lives, they have discovered the depths of God’s grace, the breadth of his peace, and the wonder of his perfect love. 

I doubt one of these young married couples has ever heard or read these words. One day, perhaps soon, they will discover them and experience the shock of recognition. They will hear and see how God was thinking about them millennia before they were born. They will discover how God prepared for his current recovery work in their lives centuries before they required what only he could provide. 

That’s just like God, isn’t it? 

There has never been a single need that he has not anticipated. 

There has never been a hurting heart that he is not ready to comfort. 

There has never been a No for which he has not provided a Greater Yes.

The Message paraphrase of these verses clarifies and applies God’s truth:

GOD’s a safe-house for the battered, 
a sanctuary during bad times. 
The moment you arrive, you relax; 
you’re never sorry you knocked.

God’s sanctuary is not in a land far away. It is in our hearts and lives. It is as near as breath. It moves with us, within us. When he arrives in our acknowledgment, we can relax and let the healing begin. 

Feel beat up? Know someone who does? Offer him, her, or them these words of truth and life. Introduce them to the Great Physician, the Good Shepherd, and the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

You, and they, will never be sorry you knocked.

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I will help hurting souls find help, hope, and healing in Jesus.

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Our Father, thank you for taking our battered lives and bettering them. Thank you for giving refuge to our souls. Thank you for your eternal availability. Thank you for your very present help in our times of need. Amen.