Meditation

Read Psalm 16:1-11 —Psalm 5:11 (NIV)

Let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.

Several years ago I volunteered as a wildlife caretaker at a nature and science museum. My responsibilities included feeding and administering medication to the resident wildlife and cleaning their outdoor habitats. Several animals, including two bald eagles, had sustained injuries that hindered their survival in the wild. The birds were flightless because of bullet wounds to their wings. Whenever I entered their large, fenced enclosure, they’d lift their damaged, drooping wings and screech at me. Despite the wounds that altered their lives, the eagles survived because of the refuge of our museum.

In a spiritual sense, when wounds alter our lives, we, too, have a refuge. Whether we’re suffering from physical injuries or struggling with emotional wounds like grief, God is our refuge. God heals us when we’re hurting. After my brother’s death, when wounds of loss altered my life, God turned my “mourning to gladness” (Jer. 31:13) when I asked Jesus into my heart. And when my father died from cancer, God blessed a ministry I started in his memory. I found myself “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10).

God can mend our broken hearts. In the refuge of God’s love we find solace that causes us to “sing for joy.”

Prayer—God of comfort and healing, thank you for being our refuge when we suffer from life’s wounds. Amen.

Thought for the Day—Blessed are all who take refuge in [the Lord]” (Ps. 2:12).

Debra Pierce (Massachusetts)