The Everlasting Arms

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
DEUTERONOMY 33:27

WHEN THE FOES MARTIN LUTHER prepared to destroy Wittenberg Cathedral, incensed that he had posted his 95 Theses on its doors, he wrote the words of a great hymn, "S mighty fortress is our God. A bulwark never failing. Our helped He amid the flood, Of mortal ills prevailing. . . "
     Martin Luther based his words on psalms 46, which promises,
"The Lord Almighty is with us the God of Jacob is our fortress (psalm46:7).
     But why Jacob? Wasn't he the one who cheated his brother out of his birthright, who fled for his life and displayed a lack of integrity? Yet it was Jacob who wrestled with God at one of the lowest points of his life. " I will not let you go until you bless me!" Jacob cried out. God met Jacob in his despair, and he bore the mark of God's hand for the rest of his life.
     One of the good things that come from times of desperation is that we quickly strip ourselves of hypocrisy and earnestly cry out to God. I've met many people who can look back and say, ",Unless zi had faced the difficulty, I would never have proven that God is enough."
     How much better to face the dark night of your soul and to learn that His grace is sufficient: that God is big enough, powerful enough, and caring enough to meet you at the point of your greatest need, than to never face difficulty
      Job, after he faced his trial, said, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you" (Job 42:5). That's the vantage of one who has run for refuge and found the shelter of the everlasting arms of God.