December 16
Nahum 1
Psalm 142
Proverbs 29:26-27
Revelation 10
Refuge
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7 NIV
“I cry to You, Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me.” Psalm 142:5-7 NIV
Close your eyes and think of refuge. What does that mean to you? A refuge is a place of safety, security, and rest. For a soldier, refuge can be found in a walled fortress or in reaching friendly territory when they are being pursued by the enemy. For a scared child, a mother’s loving arms is the refuge they need. When going through a season of difficulty, a few days at the beach or in a mountain cabin may be the refuge that gives us a much-needed rest. For many of us home is our refuge. The world can be a cruel, scary place, but our home should provide a safe shelter where we are loved and taken care of. No matter what the world throws at us, when we get home, we should be able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that we are embraced and accepted.
We find references throughout the Bible of God being our refuge and strength. It is easy to imagine how a walled fortress or a mother’s arms can be a refuge, but how is God our refuge? Examining several references in Psalms gives us insight into how we can experience this as a reality in our lives. In Psalm 91, David proclaims that God is his refuge and fortress. He explains that whoever dwells in the shelter of the Almighty will rest in His shadow. This is an important point. To experience the fullness of God’s refuge, we don’t just run to Him when we are in trouble. Dwelling with God implies that we are living every minute of our lives in His presence. We don’t just try to take care of everything we can on our own and only go to Him for the big stuff. We experience His refuge as we are continually in His presence. This Psalm also demonstrates that God was the first place David went when he had a need. He did not run to family and friends or his own resources and then go to God when he had exhausted all other options. He immediately sought God’s help and wisdom. Psalm 57 and 61 both give us a beautiful image of God’s presence providing refuge. When the girls were little, we did not let them sleep with us, but sometimes we would wake up and find them either in the floor beside our bed or at the foot of the bed sound asleep. They would wake up in the night scared and come into our room just to be near us. They didn’t need to wake us or get in bed with us, just being near us made them feel safe enough that they could go back to sleep. They knew we would protect them from anything that could harm them. Coming into God’s presence can give us that same peace. When we are feeling scared and overwhelmed, the best thing we can do is take a moment and enter His presence trusting that He is able to protect us and handle anything that comes our way. Psalm 5:11, 34:8, and 64:10 tell us that God’s refuge not only protects us from danger, but it also provides joy, blessings, and peace in His presence regardless of our circumstances.
Comments