“Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge.”
(Psalm 16:1)

“You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble? …” (Psalm 32:7a)

Our little granddaughter Renee was afraid of animals… all animals terrified her.? We didn’t know why.? She just was.?

Pat, our?

youngest daughter, was still living at home and had talked me into letting her have a cat.? A white cat she named Ugali (a staple food Kenyans eat).? She had worked? in Kenya? for a year and had grown accustomed to, and loved many of the Kenyan food and traditions.

This cat had the run of the house (my house rules had changed? considerably over? the last few years).

When Renee came over, we would generally lock the cat in one of the bedrooms, but occasionally Ugali would get out and wander into the kitchen where we were visiting.?

When Renee noticed the cat she would run as fast as she could to the closest adult and get on their lap, tuck her feet up into their lap, and make herself as small as possible.? She “took refuge” in the arms of an adult she trusted.? We were her “hiding place”.

We did not scold her for being scared.? We would put our arms around her and talk to her softly, comfort her until she was brave enough to go and play again.

Now we knew that the cat had no intentions of harming that little child.? But she didn’t know that, so we merely held her.

I believe God is as gentle with us.? We can come to Him with our fears, whether they are real or imagined.? He will surround us with His loving arms, talk softly to us, strengthen us until we are brave enough to face the world again.

~Thank you, Lord, for being our refuge when we are afraid, whether it is real or imagined.? Thank you that You are our hiding place.? Amen

About the Author
This article was written by Katherine Kehler. You can read more about this author by clicking this link:
http://www.talk.thelife.com/katherine-kehler/

This devotional is protected by copyright laws and may not be reprinted or posted to a site without permission from TruthMedia Internet Group. All readers are welcome to forward the devotional to a friend or link to it. If you would like to seek permission to reprint the devotional in full, please contact us:
http://www.truthmedia.com/contact/index.html