‘The son of some dear friends of ours was involved in an accident and was air ambulanced to Southampton. We were gathering every night in church to pray for him. It was really scary.

‘When we were praying at church, I remember looking up my favourite Bible verses, Psalm 46.1–3, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

‘This was a recognition that terrible things do happen. The Bible doesn’t pretend that everything will be fine. Earth-shattering things do happen to us, but God is still our refuge and strength. It spoke into that situation. It helped me to name that feeling which was as if the earth had given way. But I felt the refuge aspect of it as well.

‘In these situations, I’m so conscious that God doesn’t always answer your prayers as you hope. But, the son of our friends didn’t die and has recently got his Masters degree and has come through a process of healing.

‘I’m not a fearful person, but your mind wanders into the “what ifs”. What if my child becomes addicted to drugs, or gets cancer? At those times these verses help reduce the fears, which are very normal. How do people manage the scary journey of being a parent without knowing that God is their refuge and strength?’

Do you have a story to share? Email mybible@biblesociety.org.uk

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