God as a Refuge
Spontaneous Ponderings
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of God as a refuge. I know at some point I will write more in depth about this when I do the Characteristics of God study, but I wanted to get my thoughts down on paper now. (Credits to Coffee with Jesus and My Reasons to Believe for leading me to a lot of these verses and thoughts.)
The picture I have always gotten when I think about God as a refuge is me in a tower of refuge (think a turret in an old city wall), sitting on the hard-packed dirt floor with my knees drawn up and arms around them, cowering in fear, hoping that the enemy doesn’t find me but fearing that he will. Lately, I’ve come to realize that this is Satan’s lie. He wants us to stay in that state of fear or anxiety.
The more I’ve been reading and thinking about God as a refuge, I’ve realized that the real picture of God as a refuge is that as soon as we walk into his refuge, we find an open space where we can be free of fear and anxiety.
Here are some verses that I’ve found that support this conclusion.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Psalm 18 was written by David when God delivered him from the hands of his enemies, in particular, Saul. When God rescued David, David felt like God brought him into a spacious place. Being David, that reminded me of Psalm 23:1-4:
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Psalm 23 gives this picture of peace, even in the darkest valley. There’s no fear here. That’s what God as a refuge is like. This safe pasture or open spaces idea is seen again in Psalm 37:3:
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
And in Psalm 118:5-8:
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
I look in triumph on my enemies.8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
When we are in God’s refuge, we find safety and peace, not fear.
This led me to thoughts about peace. When we need refuge, we are often being attacked. We are afraid for our lives in some way. In the midst of this chaos, in the midst of war, we can find peace in God’s refuge.
Philippians 4:6-7 says:
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When we are in the midst of life, when we feel fear and anxiety taking over, we can go to God in prayer and he will be our refuge. He will fill us with peace. How does he do this? Through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13: 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As we trust in Christ, as we come into his refuge, we know that we can have peace because he has already conquered the enemy.
John 16:33: 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
In times of trial, God is our refuge. When we find refuge in him, he brings us into open spaces where we can find PEACE. There’s no fear or anxiety in those open spaces. Just freedom to enjoy life in Christ.