Verse of the Day for June 18

Nahum is not a gentle book. It is a warning to Nineveh, and the verses around this one are full of fire. his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. Then, in the middle, one quiet sentence.

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble. It sits between verse six and verse eight like a small room with thick walls in a city under siege.

Notice that the trouble does not disappear. The flood in verse eight still comes. Verse seven does not cancel the storm. It tells you where to stand during it. A strong hold is a place you shelter in while something is happening outside.

That is important when the answer to your prayer has been no. The scholarship was refused. The relationship ended. The scan came back with bad news. A no does not mean God is not good. Nahum puts the goodness of God in the same paragraph as the hardest things he knows. Then he adds he knoweth them that trust in him.

You may not know why the answer was no. You are known, though. Sit in the strong hold tonight and let that be the one thing you are sure of.

God's goodness in Nahum stands right next to the storm, not after it has passed.

Being known by God is a comfort that does not depend on getting the answer you wanted.