Nahum 1:7 (NIV): “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”
Debbie and I like musicals. We’ve even been a part of community theaters, singing and dancing in multiple shows. A favorite musical of mine is “The Music Man,” where Professor Harold Hill convinces the town of River City, Iowa that they have trouble. The trouble in that fictional town came from the influence of a pool table. Of course Professor Hill’s solution came by selling band instruments and supposedly forming a boy’s band.
I now live in another “River City.” Kansas City is where the Kaw River joins the Missouri River. Because of the rivers, the Lewis and Clark expedition camped close to where I live back in 1814. Soon after leaving here they traveled to where Sioux City, Iowa is now and the youngest man on the 41-man expedition died of a ruptured appendix. Trouble.
We have trouble in my River City right now. We have a virus that won’t go away. We have racial tensions. We have drug use. We have children who are abused. We have people who are out of work. We certainly have more trouble than just a pool table.
Nahum preached against the trouble he saw in the ancient city of Nineveh about 650 years before Jesus. Nahum shared that God will punish evil, but will also protect those who trust in Him. The verse above does not state that those who trust in the LORD will avoid trouble. In fact, trouble is assumed. In the midst of trouble God is a refuge, a safe place for those who place their faith in Him. I know that God cares for me. I don’t like the trouble that my city, my state, my nation, and my world are experiencing right now. Regardless, I have a safe place to be with Jesus.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I don’t like trouble. Still, I know you are my safe place. You are my refuge. You are good. Thank you for caring for me as I trust in You.