I am enjoying my President's day off by sitting in a coffee shop. I had planned to get a ton of school work done, but that has yet to happen. Jesus is just too Good, and I find myself just wanting to spend the whole time with Him and in His word. And He has put the idea of "refuge" on my heart. Actually, it's been on my heart since reading through the book of Psalms in January, I am just now putting my thoughts and heart to words. So here it goes.
Refuge: A. Shelter or protection from trouble. B. A place that provides shelter or protection.
That is the definition for refuge. I believe that is a good defintion. But as I spent quite a bit of time in Psalms, and since reading them, in prayer, I am realizing that the word refuge is so much more. Those two definitions are simple, but God's definition I believe leads to life.
Proof in Psalms:
Psalm 2:12 "...Blessed are all who take refuge in him."
Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge."
Psalm 18:1-2 "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
Psalm 62:6-8 "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. Oh God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us."
Those are just a few examples found in the book of Psalms about seeking God as our refuge. There are a ton more. I attempted to highlight the word Refuge every time I read it in Psalms, and it appears a ton. Why is that? What does it mean?
Think in terms of what you think of when you hear the word refuge, or refugee? I know I immediately think of a 3rd world country, with thousands of tired, hungry, and broken people pouring into a compund seeking safety. I see them coming from all over to avoid war, famine, disease. They have nothing left, the refugee camp is their last hope, and they have placed all their hope in it. That is what I see when I hear that word.
When it comes to our lives, to our faith in Christ, is it much different? We are refugees. God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are our refuge, our rock, our fortress. Without them, without the help we have in them, we have nothing. God has really been telling me that I must live as a refugee and seek refuge in Him. I have nothing without Him. I am worn, I am broken, and I am dead without him. Just as I described my vision of a refugee camp, so to must I do the same. I must go to God, I must know that I have no other hope, that it is Him or nothing. I must put all my hope in His refuge. I must trust that He will provide. That inside the gates of His refuge, I am safe, my needs will be met. That inside those gates lies our salvation, our stronghold.
This is not something that we should do only in tough times, in times that we know we are broken and beaten up, but instead at all times! Everyday we must go to the Good Lord for refuge. We must admit that we are refugees and need a safe place to live. And God offers that safe place, in His refuge! There we can get rest. There we can find hope. There we can get strong again. There we can find life as it is meant to be lived.
God is not someone who just chills up in the heavens and watches us from a far. He is with us, He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to come to him and say "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge!"
Friends, where do you seek refuge? When do you seek refuge?
I hope this finds you well. God has really been putting this on my heart this past month and really these past two weeks. Without His refuge, we have nothing. Embrace the idea of being a refugee, and enter God's refuge. Let us find rest, hope, and life together.
In Christ,
Opher
