“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. (Psalm 9:9)”
Jesus came “to preach good news to the poor.” Perhaps that is the materially poor or it it may mean the spiritually poor whom Jesus declares blessed. Poverty physically or emotionally feels to me like oppression, a weight I cannot get out from under, a cloud hanging over everything I do, a very low energy day. I know that feeling. Going from Luke to Proverbs to Psalms, I read this verse and soaked in the promise. The Lord is a refuge, not a solution. He is the place I run when life is just not working. He does not forsake and change like the shifting sands of life. But I must seek Him. For me that takes the form of music, reading His word, and prayer. I do not claim to have some sort of auditory impression in prayer but I know my heart lightens like sharing a burden with a friend. Nothing changes at the moment, perhaps a new perspective is given and thus hope, but I know I am not walking alone. The Lord is our refuge when we feel “poor”. We are never alone. Thank you Lord.
On the Way to Wonder 