A Safe Place for You

Bible Reading: Psalm 46:1-6

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1

YOU’RE SWIMMING in a sea of hurt. Know it or not, all around you are people drowning in disappointment, discouragement, or depression-family members, Christian peers, students in your youth group, non -Christians friends at school. You probably don’t need more than an instant to think of someone who needs a friend who “is always loyal … born to help in time of need” (Proverbs 17: 17). And to be that kind of friend means you must be available.

Check the phrases that tell what it means to be an available friend:

_____ Saying, “Call me when things get better for you.”

_____ Taking the time to listen to what someone has to say.

_____ Saying, “Here’s a quarter, call someone who cares.”

_____ Saying, “I want you to know I’m going to be here for you, no matter what.”

Here’s the truth short and sweet: Being available means you are interested enough in people to take time to listen to them and actually care about what happens in their world.

Jesus is the ultimate example of an ever-present friend, and you see his availability best when he helps hurting people. The woman at the well in John 4 was a total outcast, but Jesus made himself available to talk with her about her life. The woman who was caught in adultery in John 8 was a nobody to everyone else, but Jesus was available to care for her. Lepers were despised by society, but when ten lepers came to him for healing (see Luke 17), Jesus was available to them.

So how does it make you feel to know that the God of the universe is available to you as a refuge or “safe place” in time of trouble? Check all that apply.

___ Angry	___ Disappointed	___ Grateful
___ Humbled	___ Important	___ Pleased
___ Scared	___ Secure	___ Worried

God will always be there for you, and he will never fail you. He wants you to be that kind of friend to others too.

REFLECT: Write a prayer, thanking God for being available to you and telling him what that means to you.

PRAY: Ask God to help you be an available friend to someone this week.