Lord and Refuge, Prince of Peace – April 22, 2026 (161/365)

17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel:

“I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.

18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.”

20 Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”

21 And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.

22 “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.” Isaiah 48:17-22

We give thanks to our God and Father, for through the Lord Jesus Christ, both Jew and Gentile have been taught to profit, as we have received life, and life abundant.

We praise our Lord, despite all that surrounds us – For we have been given Christ, who is the Way; We have been led to Christ, through whom we can come to God, calling Him our Father.

We are grateful for our Father, because Christ is the Living Word that is alive in our hearts and in our minds – that all experiences and encounters we have in this existence are not without His Word, which is Spirit and Life to us wherever we go.

In spite of all that weighs us down, we have the Holy Spirit, who reminds us of the new commandment that has been given to us – to love one another, as Christ has loved us, as God loves us with His everlasting love.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His love endures forever, His name is a strong tower! His Word is Spirit, and His Word is Life; He is all we need through all we see and feel!

Give glory due to His name! He alone is worthy of all praise and honor! Through Christ, we have peace; Because of Christ, we have been made righteous! We flow in peace as a river; We move in power, righteous as the waves of the sea!

Give thanks and praise to God… For He is good. We have peace, while the rest of the wicked world suffers. We are constantly refreshed with rivers of living water… while the rest of the fallen world thirsts, yet refuses to come.

Oh, I don’t know what I’m saying, I don’t know where all this is coming from… I just want to keep on going, praising God, thanking Him, because that’s what I know is certainly never a waste of time, at any given moment.

I just want to keep on thanking the Lord, through all the pressure – whether it comes from the world, or it comes from within.

…Be still, o my soul. Hear the Word – ‘Be still, and know I am God.‘

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I say today… Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the only King of Kings, He is the only Lord of Lords; He has the name that is above every other name.

He is not only THE Lord, but He is MY Lord and He is MY Refuge. My boast is in Christ, who is my Lord of Lords, to whom has been given dominion over heaven and earth.

My trust and hope is in Christ, who is my Lord of Lords, with power and authority over all things seen and unseen, all things captured and perceived by the senses of humanity, and all things hidden, unmeasurable, unfathomable.

I find rest and safety in Christ – He who is Lord, is also my Refuge.

As we are in awe of who Christ is, anything else that causes us to fear, will only do so for a moment. The Lord of Lords who is also our Refuge is infinitely greater than anything in this reality that seeks to overpower us; Christ is forever superior to all in existence that blatantly attempts to glorify itself above God. With this in mind, we recognize terror and all that is fearsome… but we will stand in confidence and boldness, knowing that He is in our midst.

Yes, I claim this, here and now, and for the times to come – Christ is in my midst. Christ is in our midst.

Though the mountains be thrown to the sea, Christ is faithful. Christ is with us. Yes, He is with me, here and now.

As I am still, I am reminded of who Christ is. He is my Lord, and He is my Refuge.

This is why I give thanks. He is everlasting light in the overwhelming darkness.

Christ is enduring Truth in the middle of all the confusion and anxiety.

Christ is our Life.

Oh, praise the Lord, o my soul. Give Him thanks, and speak as the Spirit flows in and through you. Proclaim His goodness to the world, hear as you speak, and let faith arise.

Praise and thank Him. Remember all He has done, and take heart for He is doing great things, even now.

Even when you don’t see it, He is working.

Even when you don’t feel it, He is working, and He never stops working.

Through it all, take heart… for by the finished work of Christ, you have been reconciled to God, you have been wiped clean and forgiven of all sin. By His finished work, You have been made righteous – therefore, You have peace.

Do not be afraid – Christ is the First, and He is the Last. Take in all aspects of His goodness through the Word spoken in you and through you right now… and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Amen.

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