Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.

When we draw near to God we turn away from confusion. The confusion in this world doesn’t make sense and we long for what is true. Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many. The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. v. 1-3. Our ancestors in the faith walked the dirt-filled roads we walk. They walked with Creator God – Father…Son…Spirit. So can we. Listen to Me, My people; hear Me, My nation: Instruction will go out from Me; My justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, My salvation is on the way, and My arm will bring justice to the nations…Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail. v. 4-6. We get so caught up in the events in this world and in our own lives that we forget there is a purpose to all of it. I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is His name. v. 12-15. The remaining chapter talks about Jerusalem and the cup of God’s wrath they have become drunk upon, v. 17-23. But there is God’s promise…This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends His people: See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of My wrath, you will never drink again. v. 22. It would be given to their tormentors at that time, v. 23.

What does it mean to walk in faith? For me it means to be tucked in close to God. He sees what I can’t. I see trials as something strange and to be avoided and ask, why me, why my loved ones, why our world? Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:3-7. Blessings can be taken for granted. Trials help us see how much we need God. They show us what we really are. Children who need our Father. Be still. Draw near. Tuck in close and be with God who loves you.