Psalm 46:1 (NLT)
1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in
times of trouble.
God is our refuge and strength; we have found him so, he
has engaged to be so, and he ever will be so. [Matthew Henry Commentary]
Kayla Mueller, 26 years old, was captured by ISIS, and on
February 10, 2015 U.S. officials confirmed that Muslim extremists had murdered
her while in captivity. In the spring of 2014 as a captor she wrote to her
family. The letter begins with Kayla's assurance that she has been treated
well, and is "in a safe location, completely unharmed + healthy." The
26-year-old aid worker goes on to apologize touchingly to her family for the
suffering that she has put them through because of her captivity. Then comes
her central proposition: "I remember mom always telling me that all in all
in the end the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in
experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our
creator b/c literally there was no else."
Kayla, who was involved in the campus ministry at
Northern Arizona University, goes on to relate how "by God + by your
prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall." She adds: "I have
been shown in darkness, light + have learned that even in prison, one can be
free. I am grateful. I have come to see that there is good in every situation,
sometimes we just have to look for it."
She concluded, "Please be patient, give your pain to
God. I know you would want me to remain strong. That is exactly what I am
doing. Do not fear for me, continue to pray as will I. By God's will we will be
together soon. All my everything, Kayla" [Stephen L. Carter, "On
Kayla Mueller and Faith," BloombergView (2-13-15); submitted by Ted De
Haas, Slater, Iowa]
God is our refuge and strength. When there is no one
else, there is God. God is always present in our lives ready to help in times
of touble.
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