Isaiah 25:4 ‘For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.’

DAILY READING; Titus 2; Jeremiah 15-16; Psalm 126

Jason Nshimye is an international activist for human rights who is also a survivor of the Rwandan genocide.
He will never forget what happened on the morning of April 16, 1994, when he was 15 years old. As the genocide began in Rwanda, their family and other Tutsis in their village had taken refuge inside a church complex in the village. They had thought that the Hutus would fear God enough not to kill within the Church premises, but they were wrong.
Shortly after sunrise that day, his older brother warned him that their entire family would soon be slaughtered by Hutu tribesmen. He then said his goodbye to Nshimye.
Just as his brother had predicted, a few minutes later, the killers started coming from all directions. It didn’t take long before they started shooting and throwing grenades. Nshimye witnessed his entire family wiped out by their Hutu neighbors. Thousands were killed that day, but in the midst of the mayhem Nshimye kept his hope in God and miraculously managed to escape. He ran into the bushes, where he hid for weeks.
For three months, he was constantly on the run as his tribe, the Tutsis, were systematically eliminated. In less than 100 days, more than 800,000 of them were killed. Though he was terrified and horrified, yet Nshimye kept his faith in the everlasting God, whom he believed was watching over him.
God’s divine protection became very glaring to Nshimye when one day, he and a group of other children ran into a Hutu soldier who started shooting at them. As this soldier shot some of the children dead, he then pointed the gun at Nshimye’s head and pulled the trigger. But no bullet came out. It was a miracle! Nshimye escaped before the man could reload his gun. Again, he had managed to survive another direct encounter with death.
In this rough time, Nshimye met 8-year-old Françoise, who had also lost her whole family in the killings. They hid together until the end of the mayhem. Francoise, would later become his wife. Today, they are both public speakers, who share their experiences as survivors of the Rwandan genocide.
Nshimye, is the Founder and President of the Human Rights and Justice Foundation in the US. He credits his unwavering faith in God for his miraculous survival against great odds.

Nshimye came face to face with death at least twice, yet his faith in God caused him to miraculously escape.
Holding on to God is how we can triumph in life’s harshest situations. God is our only hope and guarantee of victory in the face of trials and troubles.
Though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil when God is with us. Though a thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, evil will not come near us when God is our refuge.
The world is full of tribulations, but through Christ we are destined for victory and jubilation. While others may travail, through faith in God, we will prevail.
Through faith in God we can overcome any situation. Indeed God knows how to cause the winds of adversity, instead of blowing you backwards to perdition, to blow you forward to progress. This is why in the face of difficulties, instead of becoming bitter, or complaining, we rather switch to praise. We praise God because we know He is at work. Something good is coming out of the struggle.
We are indeed products of God’s unfailing goodness and faithfulness. For this reason, God deserves our every praise. God didn’t promise that we would go through life without facing adversity. But what He has promised is that He will always be there. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, He will always make a way. He said in Isaiah 43, that when you pass through the waters and the fire, He will be right there to pull you through. You may walk through dark times and unexpected challenges, but never forget that God is your ever present help in the time of need. Even if you have lost anything, understand that God is the reason why you have not lost everything.
Therefore, in every situation, let us learn to rejoice and bless God. Let us praise Him for the many battles He has fought and won for us. Despite the many trials we have faced, God has continued to be our sun and our shield.
Indeed God has been our refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. [Isaiah 25:4]
Truly, it is only by His mercies that we have not been consumed. Even if your life is not yet what you desire it to be, it is only because of God that you are still alive and you still have hope for the future.
God is good and very faithful. And no matter what comes our way, let us keep praising Him, knowing that indeed He is working everything together for our good.

PRAYER: Lord please grant me the grace to praise You in every situation. By the revelation of The Spirit, help me to see indeed that You are working out all things for my good always. Thank You so much Jesus. .
QUOTE;
When you praise God despite your situation power is released for a raise. – WORDBITE 22