You Are My Refuge Series

You are my Refuge

We read in Psalm 91:2, “I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."” (GW)

The Psalmist says of the Lord, ‘You are my refuge’ and we will in this study try to comprehend what it meant to him then, and what is means to us today. People find refuge in many things today. Some have taken refuge in money, others in their possessions, some in their talents, but the Psalmist declared that the Lord was his refuge.

The meaning for the word refuge is, ‘a state of being safe or sheltered from the pursuit of danger or difficulty’. The Psalmist when surrounded by peril was confident to say that the Lord alone was His refuge and His fortress. We are at this present time, challenged with the danger of a pandemic, and that is why we too have been asked to take refuge in the confines of our homes.

What kind of refuge do we find in God?

1. An Eternal Refuge

We read in Deuteronomy 33:27, “The eternal God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; He cries out, 'Destroy them!'”(NLT)

When we take refuge in God, He becomes our eternal refuge. This is not a temporary hideout. For instance the houses we live in could be our own or rented, but they are still interim, for we may choose to move house, or sell the house for various reasons. However when God is our refuge it we have entered into a place of safety that is permanent and eternal. This revelation comes to those who have tasted God’s goodness, and have come to understand who He really is.

Though the Psalms were written about a thousand years before Jesus came, there are prophesies that were foretold that found fulfillment in Jesus. The Psalms, therefore are the anointed words of God that are relevant to us even today.

When there are some natural disasters like floods, the government steps in to create temporary shelters to protect those who reside in low lying areas. These are temporary places of safety. So also every place of shelter on this earth is only momentary for God alone can be an eternal security for us.

What happens when God is our eternal refuge?

We read in Deuteronomy 33:28, “Israel shall dwell in safety, and alone.” (DRB)

To those who are wondering what this verse means, let me explain it this way. This verse makes more sense to us in our present prevailing situation. During this pandemic that we are challenged with, many families are in anxiety as their parents, children or loved ones are in some other part of the country or the world, and they are unable to help them in any way. Instead of worrying, if we have made God our eternal refuge, we can rest assured that God will take care of those who are dear to us. The word of God assures us through the testimony of the Psalmist in Psalm 37:25, “I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” (ESV) We must trust God completely, and commit our family members into God’s hands for God has promised us from Deuteronomy 33:28 that they will surely dwell in safety though they are all alone.

We also read in Deuteronomy 33:29, “You are blessed, Israel! Who is like you, a nation saved by the LORD? He is a shield that helps you and a sword that wins your victories.” (GW)

• A special people

Just like the people of Israel, the Lord reassures us that we are a blessed people. When the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea by God’s mighty intervention, they burst forth into songs of praise and sang to the Lord saying, ‘Who is like unto Thee?’ Here however, the word of God inspires the people of God to know and believe that there is none like unto them. For those of us who have made this eternal God our refuge, the one without beginning or end, we too are blessed to be a special people, chosen by God, and kept safe by Him.

• God is our shield and a sword

God is also our shield and a sword who will win victories for us. Generally a person who went to war in days gone by always carried a shield. The police department still uses these shields when they are in the midst of a riot. These shields are basically to protect them from being attacked by any weaponry that the attackers may use. If a human shield can give such protection, how much greater is the security that God gives to us, when He goes ahead of us as a shield. Even if by chance the enemy should advance and get close, the Lord reassures us that He also the sword who will help us win our battles, to come forth victorious.