STRENGTH FOR TODAY

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble… The Lord Almighty is with us;  the God of Jacob is our fortress . Psalm 46:1, 11 Read Psalm 46:1-11 John Smith had a wife and 3 young children. Each morning he would gather his family to pray before they began their day. And every day his prayer ended the same way: “Lord, please give us enough strength for today. Amen.” One morning before John began praying his 8-year old daughter asked him not to end his pray the same way as previous days. “Why is that?”, John asked his daughter. “Because tomorrow we are going rock-climbing, and we will need all the strength we can get! So please ask God to give us strength for tomorrow.” The man looked at his little girl, smiled and said, “Honey, if we don’t make it through today, we won’t be needing anything for tomorrow.” The perspective of this father echoes the teachings of Jesus: “ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own .” (Matthew 6:34). Each day that you have is a gift from God. And if God graced you with today, then that all you really have; so do your best with what you have in the time you have—today. Psalm 46 provides encouragement for each day, no matter how challenging your day.  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). There you have it—God will help you today, with whatever you need help with. God is an ever-present help , available to you in real time—today. It is okay to make plans for tomorrow and the future. Planning is always a good thing. But prioritize the day you have been given and strive to do the best you can—today. If tomorrow comes, great! Take that gift of today (that is what tomorrow will be if you live to see it!), ask God for help in that day, and live your best life. Do you find yourself stressed out about what you will do tomorrow or the day after? Are you feeling overwhelmed because of a future expectation? Do you have a health condition, family situation, job expectation, or some other issues that make “tomorrow” worrisome for you? God wants to assure you that He is available to help you, today. For as the father said to his daughter, “…if we don’t make it through today, we won’t be needing anything for tomorrow.” Today should be your focus. Rejoice in it (Psalm 118:24). The opportunities of today are all you can be sure of, so take advantage of them. And if you have challenges today, reach out to God; He will be your ever-present help , today. The God of Jacob is your fortress (Psalm 46:11). Today may bring many struggles; but God has more strength. And God will supply you enough strength for today.