“O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction” (Jeremiah 16:19).

You’ll remember devastated Jim from yesterday. Working through the agony of rejection he felt from his wife Sally Louise walking out of his life, Jim slowly began to understand the amazing work of the Lord Who would be his strength, fortress, and refuge, just as Jeremiah wrote. What help Jim experienced in this terrible trial. The word “strength” has to do with “force or power coming from Majesty.” The idea of “fortress” and “refuge” are close but slightly different. “Fortress” is “a place of protection and safety” while “refuge” is “a place of escape or flight.” Whatever trial or affliction, be it ever so severe, you can trust in the strength that comes from His Majesty and the safety that comes from His fortress and refuge. Jim’s life was never the same. His faith and help from the Lord were never the same as well.

For today: How will the LORD’s strength, fortress, and refuge work out in your life today?