As we have looked at New Beginnings this month, we must remember that stepping out to a new beginning isn’t something we do on our own. God is our help and refuge. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (NASB) Not only is He our help in trouble, but He is also our help in everything we do.
As I was discussing this with my husband, he reminded me that a new beginning was like a stairway. Each step up we take is a new beginning, we move forward. Sometimes those steps are hard to take, and God helps us take those hard steps. He also guides us in taking the right steps so that we are going in the right direction.
When we try to move forward without God’s help, we can get off the pathway, doing things in our own strength, not relying on God, and then not only do we not go forward, but we also end up going backward. However, when we seek God’s help, He will be our help. He wants us to seek His help! Jeremiah 29:13-14 says, “’You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord…” (NIV) When we look to Him with our whole heart, He is readily available to help us.
When we find the steps to a new beginning difficult, He promises, “…My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…” (2Corinthians 12:9 ESV) When we feel too weak to take that next step, God is there, encouraging us, guiding us, keeping us close to Him, being that refuge when we are in trouble.
During the difficult days after my first husband passed away, I felt so lost without him. But God was right there helping me take the next step into this new beginning of my life. At that time, I had no idea that God had a calling for me, a calling to reach others for Him. He put a guest pastor in my pathway who spoke a word of prophecy over me that was the first step toward the development of a blog utilizing Bible Journaling to encourage and point others to Jesus. That ministry began in 2016 and I am beginning to see some fruit from it. Were those days hard for me? You bet they were! But I wasn’t doing it alone, God was with me, guiding me, placing people and websites in my pathway to help me get started. He was “my refuge and strength, a very present help” just at the right time. He is still with me as I continue to write this blog, guiding me in what to write, sometimes just to touch one person who needed to hear what I was given to share.
God will do the same thing for you. The Apostle Paul reminds us, “But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3 CSB) He will not fail you; He will not leave you to fend for yourself, He will always be with you. (Hebrews 13:5) He wants you to draw close to Him, follow His leading, and let Him be your refuge and strength. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (ESV) When we feel like we really fouled things up, we find His grace and mercy. He picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us back on the right stairstep so that we can move forward and into a new beginning. When we are afraid, He reminds us that He is right there, and we are not alone, and encourages us to step forward. Let Him be your refuge and strength today and step into your new beginning.
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