A Secure Refuge!

January 26, 2023

A Secure Refuge!

I don’t need our home to be perfectly clean all the time.  I don’t want to live in a museum!  At the same time, it is important for my well-being that we keep the clutter to a minimum. 

The need to minimize the clutter is not so much to impress people who come to visit as it is about my need to have a place of refuge.  With the Lord’s help, I can deal with all kinds of chaos, commotion, and confusion as long as I have a home that is a safe and secure refuge.

One source on the internet defines “refuge” as “shelter or protection from danger or distress.”  I can encounter all kinds of danger and distress as well as threats and temptations as long as I have a place of shelter or protection.

Our home is that place of refuge.  But, much more important than a physical place that provides refuge is the Lord God who is my secure refuge.

Here is the fifth attribute of the character of God; the Lord God is our secure refuge. 

In Psalm 91:9-10 we hear; “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.” 

The first thing we hear is that we choose the place or the person who will be our refuge.  The person who feels like a safe refuge to you may not feel safe to me.  Our different perceptions are often because of our different experiences in life. 

If I have been abused or betrayed or bullied, there may be some people with whom I do not feel safe.  It is important to listen to that voice deep inside of us that tells us we should stay away from a particular person. 

In a like manner, there are certain places that may not provide a safe refuge for us.  A bar may not be a safe place for a person who is struggling with alcoholism.  A casino may not be a safe place for a person who is struggling with gambling.  A particular internet web-site may not be a safe place for a person who is struggling with pornography. 

The second thing we hear is that when we choose the Lord God to be our secure refuge, we will find a shelter and protection that only the Lord can provide.  The Lord can provide a secure refuge that no other person and no other place can provide.

The text says that when the Lord is my secure refuge “…no scourge come near your tent.”  When the text was written a person’s “tent” was their home.  When I make the Lord my secure refuge there is…

no affliction, no terror, no devastation,

no curse, no sadness, no torment,

no adversity, no trouble, no oppressor,

no distress, no fear, no danger…

…that can separate me from the love of the Lord God.  The Lord is my secure refuge! 

In Romans 8:37-39 the Apostle Paul writes; “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our lord.”

With the Lord God as my secure refuge, I will still encounter some difficult things in life.  However, when a make the Lord my secure refuge, I will never be separated from the Lord’s love.  When we know the Lord as our secure refuge, our heart will be filled with delight in the Lord even when things are still a struggle.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug

P.S.  Please take a moment to invite a family member or a close friend to join our blog community at douglasdelp.com.