God is the Refuge of My Soul
- Ever been in a struggle where you needed more than a little cover? Where you needed some kind of mobile protection, a shield, a fortress and a nice warm blanket all in one?
I needed a mobile shelter like that as a school boy bringing home the dreaded report card…
…as a teenager in some of the struggles I went through
… when my friends let me down
… when my parents divorced
… when I was so confused in college
… when I got my first real job
… the first time my boss called me on the carpet
… the first real fight I got into in my marriage
… the latest fight I got into in my marriage
… the first time I looked at my daughter and realized I had no idea how to be a Dad.
… the first time I looked at my son and was frightened that he might turn out too much like me.
We all need our shield, our shelters, our protective covers. We’re looking for a way to feel safe. We’re looking for a protective cover where I can go to feel secure, to feel assured and confident of my survival. We want a shelter we can go into to find rest, to find peace. We’re looking for a fortress and stronghold where our rescue can come from.
But our problem is we look for this shelter in the wrong place. We try to build a protective covering out of the wrong materials.
* We try to shelter ourselves through gaining acceptance. But instead we end up turning into a chameleon or trying to become a celebrity.
* We try to cover ourselves through accomplishment. We walk around trying to prove ourselves to others, sticking out our chest, pointing to our medals – all the while looking like a peacock with its flume held high.
* We try to protect ourselves through acquisition. Somewhere we bought into this idea of chasing after financial security, as if there were such a thing. If I can just get enough stuff, if I can just achieve enough buying power, then I’ll be secure, then I’ll be safe.
If I have acceptance, if I have accomplishments, if I have acquisitions… I think I’m secure, I may believe I’m protected. But the truth is quite obvious isn’t it. You will still have troubles, you will still have pain. Like a hot knife cutting through soft butter, the pain and problems and fears and doubts and despair of life cut right through our man-made protections. They can’t stand up to the struggles of this world because they are of this world and of this world only.
You need a shield, a fortress, a stronghold that is supernatural – that rust and moth can’t harm. You need a refuge from above.
One of the most frequent and valuable images of God from the Psalms is the image of God as a refuge. What is a refuge? This isn’t a word we use all that often in our everyday language.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10
39The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. 40The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. Psalm 37: 39-40
16But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. 17O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. Psalm 59: 16-17
“I love you, O LORD, my strength. 2The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 5The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 6In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” Psalm 18:1-6
Did you notice these three key words?
Rock Fortress Deliverer
“my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” – vs 2 “He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” – vs 2 “I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” – vs 3
These are powerful word pictures used repeatedly throughout the psalms in varying forms when the psalmists, in their unpolished prayers, pray about God as a refuge. Rock, Fortress, Delieverer.
In my distress I called to the Lord, I cried to my God for help. From His temple he heard my voice –my cry came before him, into his ears.
17“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; 20he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” Psalm 34:17-20
and the Lord hears them…
He delivers
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
He protects
During the First World War in a community in the highlands of Scotland, young men were being called up in increasing numbers for military service. Each time contingents of them gathered at the pier to sail to the mainland, their relatives and friends assembled there and sang:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
10"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." 11The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 46:1-7, 10-11
- God is our refuge and strength
- An ever-present help
Regardless of what happens in the world – and note, there’s no promise of prevention – only protection during…
- earth give way
- mountains fall
- waters roar
- mountains quake
Look at verse 10:
“Be still, and know that I am God”
Have you heard those words before? I know the way they’re typically used – a call to worship telling everyone, “take your seats, we’re starting church...” But somehow I don’t think that’s what the Psalmist had in mind. Listen to them from the New American Standard:
“Cease striving and know that I am God” (vs 10, NAS)
Very different, isn’t it. Cease striving. Listen to the same verse again, this time from Eugene Peterson’s, The Message:
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God” (The Message)
Literally, Hebrew here means to sink into, like you sink into his arms, rest in His arms. Isn’t that a gorgeous picture?
So what do I do? How do I take refuge?
First, Talk to God about your hurts.
“I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.” Psalm 142: 1-2
Be candid – Say what you’re really thinking and feeling. God’s big enough, He can handle the truth. Be entirely honest and open. If you’re hurt, say so. If you’re angry, tell him everything. He knows because He’s been with you the whole journey… but tell him. Be candid.
Be conscious – God is there with you, around you and among you. God dwells within his people. Sense his presence, see Him there. If it helps, pull out an empty chair, and visualize Jesus sitting with you as you share these hurts. He’s actually much closer than that… but if it’ll help you talk, try it.
Be constant – Keep talking. God is listening… Don’t stop. Sometimes it takes a while to release these burdens. We’re so good at keeping these pent up, it takes a great deal of work to cast these things where they belong… on to Jesus.
Second, Trust God as your hero.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5
Let go of your pride
Listen for direction
Learn from veterans
Look to God as your protective cover.
91:1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the LORD, who is my refuge-- 10then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." Psalm 91:1-16
4He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge
Can you feel his feathers as your protective cover and refuge?
From the teaching ministry of the New Heights Church
106 N. Main - Owasso, OK 74055 - (918) 274-1725
on the web at: www.newheightsfamily.org
email us at newheightschurch@yahoo.com
