God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
We live in an age that encourages us not only to prepare for every eventuality, but to
insure against every eventuality as well. We build a house and insure it against burning
down. We invest in possessions and insure them against being stolen. We pursue a
healthy lifestyle and insure ourselves for when we fall ill. We earn a living and invest in
policies to insure an income for when we stop working. If we can, we surround ourselves
with high walls, burglar bars, alarms and armed response personnel. None of these is
necessarily bad and might even be good stewardship of our resources, except that………
……..our trust can end up being primarily in these things and not in our God. Who or
what do you trust in for your present and future protection? Where do you look for
strength? Who or what determines whether you sleep peacefully?
Many of us need to learn what the Psalmist discovered, but we can only accept the
following truths from a place of spiritual poverty. Firstly, real peace giving refuge is not
to be found in fortresses, but in God. The only safe place to be is in God. Secondly, notice
the verb is….He is our refuge, not He will be or might be, but He is, here and now and
always. He is never distant or withdrawn, He is with us. Thirdly, the God who is a refuge
is our refuge. You and I can say: “God is my refuge.”
“God is our refuge and strength.” Is He your refuge and strength? Beware of imitations,
the things mentioned in the first paragraph, becoming idols that give you a misplaced
sense of peace and strength. If you lose all those things tomorrow (and how does that
possibility make you feel?), God will still be God and your refuge and strength would
remain unchanged.
Thou seest my feebleness;
Jesu, be thou my power,
My help, and refuge in distress,
My fortress and my tower.
Give me to trust in thee,
Be thou my sure abode;
My horn, and rock, and buckler be,
My Saviour and my God. (296)
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John Wesley (1703 - 1791)
Was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England. Methodism in both forms became a highly successful evangelical movement in Britain, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally.Wesley helped to organise and form societies of Christians throughout Great Britain, North America and Ireland as small groups that developed intensive, personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction among members. His great contribution was to appoint itinerant, unordained preachers who travelled widely to evangelise and care for people in the societies. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the prison reform and abolitionism movements.
John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism (which later led to the forming of the Calvinistic Methodists), Wesley embraced Arminianism. Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Christ personally.
Wesley believed that this doctrine should be constantly preached, especially among the people called Methodists. In fact, he contended that the purpose of the Methodist movement was to "spread scriptural holiness across England."
Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican tradition. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England, though toward the end of his life he was widely respected.
John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement which grew from the 'Holy Club' of his Oxford friends into a great religious revival. An indefatigable traveller, preacher and writer, Wesley averaged 8,000 miles a year on horseback and gave 15 sermons a week. The reluctance of the Anglican clergy to lend him their pulpits led him to give some of his sermons in the open air, a decision which enabled him to reach those among the poorer sections of society who were not accustomed to going to church.