Refuge

We all seek a place of refuge from time to time and maybe even more often than we thought we would need to or want to. But we can affirm that no matter where we are and what season we are facing, God is there to help us and to be our place of refuge.

He wants to cover us and protect us from all that can harm us.

Today, we are really going to keep our focus on the fact that God is our one and only refuge.

Our scripture for today is Psalm 62:7-8: “My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

There are different times that we need refuge—when the season has become too harsh, when we feel like there is no way out, or when we just need a time of Sabbath. I’m sure there is more, but the truth is we all seek refuge and shelter when things are difficult, when we are stuck, or exhausted.

God does call us to come to Him when we are weary and heavy laden, and so He wants us to see Him as a place of refuge—a place where we can be refilled and, of course, a place where we can just come to Him for anything.

I was having a conversation with one of my kids the other day, and I was just asking him about a certain situation. Honestly, he didn’t really want to talk about it, but after a bit of time, he opened up. At the end of that conversation, I reassured him that he can talk to me about anything and that I’m here to listen and help if needed.

God tells us the same: Come to me, talk to me, have a relationship with me. He will listen and guide us.

Having someone you can comfortably talk to and who is safe is a place of refuge for us.

If you come to God in honest conversation, then you are more likely to come to Him when things are hard as well.

Have you ever made a mistake so big that all you wanted to do was go and hide?

I have, and I’ve hid out after. In that hiding, I thought I could maybe get things together before going back out, and when I did, maybe everything would be blown over… That may happen in some cases, but for me, it didn’t.

My refuge—my hiding—only delayed the conversations that needed to take place.

So, though finding refuge can be good, it can also be bad. Go to God and let Him be your guide in all situations so things can be handled the way they need to be.

We have farm animals, and they take refuge from the heat wherever they can, usually under a tree. We think this is interesting, especially with our ducks, because they don’t just go to our pond. But regardless, they seek refuge from the heat of the day.

God is available to you as a place of refuge, just as shade from a tree is available to you as you need a reprieve from the heat.

Our scripture for today is Psalm 62:7-8: “My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

The word “refuge” means a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.

The Bible definition means a state of safety, shelter, and protection from danger, distress, or anxiety, and of course, God being our ultimate refuge.

One key difference here is the phrase “a state.” We use this phrase in describing a state of mind, a state of being, or a state of emotion. I think it is interesting because we can think of it and imagine it more as a physical protection, but it is also a spiritual refuge for us from sin, shame, and judgment—covered by God. It’s a state of trust and recognizing our dependence on Him.

In the Bible, both David and Paul learned when to lean on the Lord as their refuge regardless of their situations. David hid in caves and ran from men who were trying to kill him for a long time. Paul was arrested and beaten so many times, and still, as we can see in his writing, his faith that the Lord was with him and protecting him never wavered.

We need to look at the Bible and learn the deep dependence that these men and many others showed.

We can waver so easily depending on what is happening, but really, we should hold strong knowing that God is our rock and refuge and nothing that comes will keep us from depending on and knowing the Lord is with us, protecting us.

We were at a birthday party recently, and there was no chance of rain in the forecast, but God had other plans because there was a sudden torrential storm. We were under a cover as this was an outdoor party, and as the rain came harder and harder and the wind started to pick up, we were doing our best to stay dry, but it wasn’t really happening. Eventually, we ended up indoors so that we would be safe and dry.

Sometimes we can seek refuge in places where we think we will be okay, just to realize it wasn’t a good place to be. God is the only true refuge that we should seek.

Our scripture for today is Psalm 62:7-8: “My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

We know that God wants to protect us and be a place of refuge for us just by reading through the Bible. In Ephesians, the armor of God is mentioned, but it was actually mentioned in the book of Isaiah as well.

In Ephesians, we know that this armor is for us to put on, and in Isaiah, it envisions that God is the warrior and redeemer wearing the armor.

Either way, God wants you to be covered and protected, and He gives us this armor for that. We can know and understand that God brings victory and redemption to those who seek to find refuge in Him.

Just as we build a house to live in and protect us from outside elements, let’s build our spiritual life the same way—but with God being that refuge that will protect us from the outside elements.

Seek the Lord every day, know the truth of God’s Word, and carry it with you in your heart so that when things come up, you will know right from wrong.

Find peace in the storm; let God be the foundation of life. With these, you will walk through life knowing God is in control, and even when life feels uneasy, He has His steady hand on you.

He is your refuge.

When we are seeking refuge from God, we need to have faith that He will do just that. We need to have faith that all God’s promises are true—faith that God’s will for you is to make it through no matter what. That His love for you is so very deep and that He wants you to reach out to Him, let Him show you the way, and shelter you when need be. You can and will endure all with full faith in the Lord.