“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who take refuge in Him, but with an overflowing flood, He will make a complete end of the adversaries and will pursue His enemies into darkness.”
– Nahum 1:7–8
What a picture of the goodness, the love, and the wrath and the judgment of God coupled together. It’s all throughout the first chapter of Nahum and exemplified in these two verses. Did you hear the beginning? “The Lord is good. He’s a stronghold in the day of trouble. He knows those who take refuge in Him.” What an encouraging verse. For those who take refuge in God, He knows you and it’s whatever you’re walking through, God knows you. He sees you. God loves you. He is concerned about you. The Lord is interested in the details of your life, and He is a stronghold for you. When you face trouble, you can find refuge and rest in God. The Lord is good to all who take refuge in Him.
Nahum 1:7–8 Shows Us that Our Only Hope is Found in God’s Refuge
But verse eight says, on a contrast, “But with an overflowing flood, He will make a complete end of the adversaries and will pursue His enemies into darkness. Those who rebel against God, who do not take refuge in God will be pursued into darkness.” What an image to be pursued into darkness, to have a complete end made of you. Oh, trust in God and His goodness. Find a refuge in God. Do not rebel against God. Oh God, we pray that we would experience the goodness described here in Nahum 1:7. The refuge that is found in You, You as a stronghold in the day of trouble.
Nahum 1:7–8 Shows Us that God is Our Stronghold in Challenging Times
God, I pray for all who are walking through trouble and trial and temptation that You would be a stronghold for them, that they would see You as their stronghold today, and they would know that You know them as they take refuge in You. And they would know Your goodness, that we would all know your goodness as we take refuge in You in this way.
And God, we pray that You would keep us from rebelling against You and God that You would use us to turn others from rebellion against You to share the gospel with somebody today and invite people to take refuge in You. God, as we walk alongside others today who are walking through trials and trouble, help us to point them to the refuge that’s found in You.
Praying for the Emirati Arabs
And God, we pray this over the nations, over all the people of the world, specifically today Emirati Arabs and the UAE and the United Arab Emirates is predominantly Muslim people, almost all Muslim people. Very few followers of Jesus who’ve found refuge in You among Emirati Arabs. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel to them knowing that it will be costly. Lord, we pray for churches in the UAE.
God, we pray for Your blessing on them, for the spread of Your gospel through them. And God that You would give boldness to followers of Jesus. God grant wisdom, compassion for the spread of the gospel to Emiratis. Open their eyes to the love of Jesus for them, that they might find refuge in you according to Nahum 1:7. God, we pray all of this in light of the totality of Your character, Your goodness, and Your love, and Your wrath and Your justice. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
