Our Refuge and Strength

“Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the
Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”
Isaiah 40:28-31

What encouraging words from the prophet Isaiah! These are words that I should have ingrained on my mind and in my heart because they are SO true and SO important for each of us to remember.

It has been an emotional rollercoaster through life over the past month for us and I can truthfully say that I’m totally exhausted.  On Father’s Day we went through the joy of finding out that we were pregnant with our third child, and then just a week and a half later I got a call from my midwife who told me we were going through a miscarriage… Going through that situation, which was one of the toughest times for our young family, was incredibly hard and still is, but with two other little ones and as we continue support raising to go into full-time college ministry, it’s been so hard and draining to continue on each day. Then, just a week after the miscarriage, on July 4th, our house which has been on the market for a year next month, went under contract and the closing is on the 31st of July! We are so excited to finally be free from our house in order to move over to Denver just in time to start ministering on a campus there. But, even with the excitement of it all, I’m still exhausted and trying to heal and trying to be the mom and wife I want to be… and that’s where God has begun to show Himself in big ways!

God is my refuge! My God, who does not become weary or tired; my God, who gives strength to the weary; my God, who gives power to those who lacks might; my God, who cares about me and you… He is an AWESOME God! I’m so thankful that He is my refuge from the storm. I’m so thankful that I can run to Him as I go through the valleys of life and as I go through the excitement of prayers being answered and I’m so thankful that He understands and knows that we can’t do it all on our own. He made us and knows our limits and He has stepped in to give us the wings to fly like eagles, and has given us the strength we need to run and walk while not becoming tired.

I don’t know why I would even try to go through life doing everything on my own. I know I’ve tried to do so much on my own over the past few weeks especially, and I’m ready to give it over to Someone who will take it on His shoulders and carry me through the valleys and over the high mountains!

As you think about your life right now, I’m sure you can think of the valleys and mountains you have gone through lately, or ones you might be going through right now. I wish I could say that things will get better or that the valleys won’t return for a while, but I know that God is the only one who knows these things. All I can say is that God is there and He is waiting for you to run to Him! He is your refuge and He has all the strength you need to get through the coming days and years! Run to Him and “Cease striving and know that (He) is God!” (Psalm 46:10).

About Natalie

Natalie graduated with her Elementary Education degree in 2008 and now serves as a missionary to college students with Master Plan Ministries. Outside of ministry, she loves taking pictures of her husband and two children, scrap booking photo memories of vacations and day-by-day moments. She is so thankful for the opportunity to be a mentor to women who are faced with the peer pressure and endless life choices of daily college life, and is excited to see God’s transforming work as He shows His grace and love to these students and prepares them for the years ahead.  

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