Friday, November 11, 2011

"The Lord is a Refuge for the Oppressed..." Psalm 9:9. By Mrs. Noyo Edem

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9


Noyo Edem's Notes:

It is an innate attribute of men to want to be in control of not just their lives and circumstances, but they also want to control other people's lives, if they can. This innate tendency makes some people to be very oppressive and aggressive towards others. At times they exhibit these attributes of control without realizing that they are treading on other people's freedom, or  trespassing in someone's personal space. Each person has his/her own personal space and the person should be able to enjoy some freedom in this space.

Imagine someone coming to your home and telling you that you do not have a right to sleep on your bed or even be in your home. The first thought that will come to anyone's mind will be to wonder if the intruder is mentality stable. You will be surprised that a lot of mentality stable people willingly intrude on other people's personal spaces and try to oppress and suppress them in life. You do not have to necessarily do anything wrong in life to be so treated, it is just how people who behave this way operate.

We wonder why things do not work smoothly in society; why governments do not provide what their people need and why people allow other people's rights to be violated. The reason I think people succeed with oppressing others is because at one time or the other each person in the society has been oppressed. Therefore people have become conditioned to accept whatever comes their way.  I want anyone passing through oppression of any kind to remember that the Lord is our refuge. Psalm 9 verse 9 states that, 'The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

The Lord will never forsake those who seek him. What this tells me is that though people try to oppress  us, they do not really succeed in the end because the Lord is our refuge, and he will never forsake those of us who seek Him. Therefore, seek the Lord with all of your heart, soul, spirit and strength. Seek Him when he may be found, because the Lord is your refuge.  The Lord is our refuge this day, as we  pass through the experiences of life. Family and friends may not always be there, but the Lord will be there all the time.  The Bible warns us about putting our hope in men or even trusting men. Men will disappoint us, but God will always be there for us. He is our refuge.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 11 that, "In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me flee like a bird to your mountain." We will not flee to  the mountain or anywhere, because the Lord is our refuge.

May God truly be your refuge this day.

Mrs. Noyo Edem


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