My Refuge

Who do you go to when a problem arises or when you are upset or afraid? I am blessed to have one or two people in my life who feel like a refuge. I know that whatever I am facing, they will be there to help me through. The past few weeks, however, God has been challenging me run first to Him, to make Him my place of refuge. Psalm 46:1 says,

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”

That word refuge here means a shelter, or a place of hope. So often, when I encounter difficulties, my first thought is to run to those human refuges, without first going to God. But as comforting as those human “places of hope” are, they can never fully satisfy.

I believe God gives us people, like those we depend on in times of trouble or distress, as human reflections of what He is like, to help us grasp what He wants to do and be in our lives. The problem comes when we look to those flawed human reflections as the real thing, neglecting to look to the Source.

So what does it mean that God is our refuge? The rest of this psalm gives us a picture:

When God is our refuge, we are never without shelter or hope:

“A very present help in trouble.”

That phrase, very present has the idea of being exceedingly present. It reminds me of Ephesians 3:20, which tells us that God is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” A very present help is a help that is constantly available and always enough.

When God is our refuge, we need not fear, no matter what is happening around us:

“Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah” (vv.2-3)

The tumult described in these verses is that of a natural disaster, which are perhaps the most frightening of all troubles, because they are unpredictable and unstoppable. Even in the most unpredictable circumstances of life, those times when the world feels out of control and unsteady beneath our feet, God our refuge is still there, still strong and firm, standing ready for us to flee to Him and find shelter and hope.

When God is our Refuge, we can face life with a glad confidence:

“there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (vv 4-7)

God’s presence is what makes us glad at heart, though the circumstances of life buffet us on every side. Notice, “God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved” It is God’s protecting, comforting presence that makes Him our place of shelter and hope, for if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

When God is our refuge, we can rest in His omnipotence.

“Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations He hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire.” (vv 8-9)

Running to God for refuge is more than just taking our problems to Him. It is basking in His might, remembering all the wondrous things He has already done, and those He has promised to do. Part of what makes God our place of hope is that as we come to Him for help and shelter, He invites us to “Come, behold the works of the Lord.”

When God is our refuge, we can rest peacefully in Who He is, for His justice will make all right in the end.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exlted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (vv.10-11)

Whatever trial, uncertainty, or pain you face, God is still in control. He will be exalted, for nothing can defeat Him.

In the midst of whatever you are facing today, take time to run to God your Refuge, and be still, resting in the knowledge that He knows what He is doing, and that all will come right in the end.