Running to the Refuge {Day 4}: Refuge of Salvation

You do not have to read long in the Psalms to come across a phrase like save me, O God or rescue me from my enemies.  Throughout all time, people have cried out to God for deliverance from enemies or hardship.  It's in our DNA to pray when the going gets tough.

Today as we think about God being our refuge of salvation, however, I want to take us a step further.  Yes, God hears those who cry out to Him and comes to their aid, saving them from circumstances or situations.  But there is a permanent salvation that we can know when we take refuge in God, the salvation of our souls.

As I was gathering up and sifting through refuge verses, I came across Psalm 2, and an epiphany.  The end of the Psalm reads:

Therefore, you kings be wise;
   be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear
   and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, let he be angry
   and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
   Blessed are those who take refuge in him.

Blessed can be translated, happy.  Happy are those who take refuge in Him!  Why?  Here's the epiphany.  God is either our refuge our our enemy.  Those are the only to options for relationship with our Creator.  When we put our faith in Him, trusting that the blood of Jesus is our only hope for forgiveness of sins, the enemy God becomes our refuge God!

We will find ourselves in situations where we need the saving hand of God to work a miracle to change the circumstances.   But our greatest problem - the sin that is a chasm between us and God, unbridgeable by good works - is what we most need salvation from.  God provides the cross as the bridge, His Son's very life.  God, the enemy, offers Himself as our best, eternal, and only refuge!

This truth, the reminder of in in a fresh way from Scripture, stops me in my tracks.


Can you believe it?  Do you believe it?

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!  For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled , shall we be saved through His life!  Romans 5:9-10

Our human hearts long for a refuge, not only from the relentless difficulties we encounter in this world, but also from the immense power of sin in our lives.  God alone offers that refuge.  Our enemy reaches out by His Spirit through His Son and invites us to take refuge in Him.  If you know this deep refuge in the Lord, rejoice!  If you do not, respond to His invitation today!*


Running Orders!

• Here are a few other passages to read for your edification today:
• Psalm 37:37-40  Why does God save righteous/upright?  Hint: read the last line
• Psalm 62, all of it, but particularly verses 5-8  Our salvation and honor depend solely on God.  He is the savior, the saving refuge.  Write out these verses and put them somewhere you can see them regularly, to be reminded of how God is your Refuge of Salvation.

Till tomorrow, walk in His way, which is the way of trust and faith!

Blessed are those who take refuge in Him.

*Please let me know if you would like to talk more about making this decision!

Running to the Refuge {Day 3}: 'Refuge of' our BRF, Best Refuge Forever

It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the LORD

than to trust in princes.

Psalm 118:8-9

It is better.

Why?  Why is it better?  Why is running to the Refuge better than our other options?

I believe that Scripture says it this way, allow me the liberty of paraphrasing: He's a better refuge because HE IS THE BEST REFUGE!

This week we will explore a handful of descriptions of the kind of refuge God is.  We need to know what we're getting into if we're going to put our trust in Him.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD, and we're going to confirm why the Psalmist was right to say so.

Today's attribute of our Refuge is His eternity; God is our Eternal Refuge.

Man does not last forever.  Princes to not last forever.  God is forever.

When blessing the tribes of Israel, Moses said:

The eternal God is your refuge

and underneath are the everlasting arms

Deut 33:27a

The eternal God, holding them up with everlasting arms, was going with them and before them into the promised land to defeat their enemies.  Hearing those words would have strengthened my feeble spirit.  In fact, they do strengthen my spirit even now.  Do you feel that, too?  Dear reader, the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  You are not, never ever, alone, not now and not into eternity!  Take heart knowing your Refuge is eternal.

A good exercise at this point would be to compare the temporal things in which we try to take refuge with the eternal Refuge.  When life gets tough, where do you run?  Me?  Well, I am an escape artist.  I immerse myself in a television show, a novel, or some other useless-at-the-time procrastination or distraction tool.  Maybe I'll hit the kitchen for an unnecessary snack or head out to do some shopping.  None of these things or activities can help me for more than a few hours.

How about when life gets scary and fear fills your heart?  Where do you run?  Again, I tend toward real-life avoidance through entertainment or hanging out on Facebook hoping someone will post something new, quick!  But, as the Psalm above points out, there are more false-refuge options.  We can run to man or to princes, to friends and family or our rulers.  We can even turn to ourselves thinking we can control things better if we simply learn a little more and make a better plan.  Guilty!  All of these will ultimately leave us empty, because people and things cannot provide the eternal refuge we are seeking.*

But not God.

God is our eternal refuge, holding us in His everlasting arms.

Unlike the dissatisfying, temporal refuges we often run to, God always has been, is, and always will be.  He does not change in His steadfast refuge provision for His people.  He knit each of us together in our mother's womb.  He knows our names.  And He says, Come!  In His presence we will find the joy, peace, hope, protection, and shelter we are looking for, not only today, but through all eternity.

Today's Running Orders:

• Take some time to consider the false refuges you run to in times of need.  Confess your misuse of good gifts God has given, seeking refuge in them instead of Him.  Ask Him to help you learn to run to Him.

• Do you often think of yourself as an eternal being belonging to an eternal God?  We are safe in the Refuge forever!  In Psalm 71:3a the Psalmist says, Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go.  Praise God that He is our rock of refuge to which we can always go.  You may want to read all of Psalm 71 as a prayer to God.

*For the record, none of the things I mention are evil and are fine in their proper place.  Where we err is in elevating them to a status only God deserves by trying to use them as our safe haven, a save haven only God can truly provide.  I have often heard said that an idol is taking a good thing and making it the ultimate thing.

Running to the Refuge {Day 2}: Worship and Rest

I won't be writing on Sundays, but I may share a song or short word of encouragement.  Here is a song that has come up often in my brain when thinking about God as our Refuge.

Run to the refuge today; get yourself to worship with other believers!

Running to the Refuge {Day 1}: an Introduction

Happy November, my friends!  Are you ready?!

Are you ready to see what God has to show us about Himself as our Refuge?

Are you ready to grow in trusting God in the hard things?

Are you ready to kick some idols to the curb to rest in the Living God?

Are you ready to run to the Refuge?

I am!

As we begin, I want to share with you how this got started and then I will address the question, What does it mean to run to the refuge?

Why this topic?

There was a period this past summer when I kept coming across the word refuge: in personal study, sermons, songs, etc.  My heart took great comfort and courage from the word each time.  Of course the courage and comfort came from knowing that God is that refuge, the only place I can run for sure safety, protection, security, love, forgiveness, and peace.  Thus, when I was thinking ahead to November, one idea I jotted down in my writing journal was this one.

I know I am not alone in feeling desperate for refuge in this world of sin, expectations, challenges, and relentlessness.  I believe God is that Refuge and learning more about what kind of a refuge He is will strengthen us as we walk with Him.

What does it mean to run to the Refuge?

The short answer is trusting in the Lord.  The longer answer will come throughout the month.  Running to the Refuge happens in a couple different ways in our lives.  There is the daily habit of throwing all your eggs into God's basket, so to speak, saying, Lord, I trust in you and I place my life in your hands today.  Then there's the life-just-got-intense running to the Refuge, when we are aware of something pressing in on us and we are desperate for the refuge of the Lord.  In either case, trust is expressed in turning to the Refuge.

Over the month, we'll spend a week looking at each of these themes:

1. Refuge of - What kind of a refuge is God?  What can we expect from Him as our refuge?  We need to know what we're running to.
2. Refuge from - Who are our enemies?  What are we taking refuge from?  We need to be able to identify our foes.
3. Refuge in - How can we run to the Refuge in specific situations in life?  We need to take refuge in God in all things.
4. Refuge unto - Is running to the Refuge an end in itself or the beginning of something new?  We need to respond to the Refuge.

Running Orders! (a.k.a. a little assignment for you):

• What are your hopes for this month of meditations on Running to the Refuge?  Write these down and ask God to meet you in your expectations.

• In what area or aspect of life do you find the idea of taking refuge most appealing?  Would you be willing to share about that in the comments or in a private message?  I would love to know how you perceive taking refuge and would like to make sure I hit on topics relevant to readers.

Finally, here is what you can expect through November.  I will write daily, except Sundays, through the month.  I will add assignments for you to do to engage with the content.  I will pray daily for you that the Lord will strengthen you with His Word and His very self.

I am so excited about this month of writing.  God has brought me to this topic, given me ideas exactly when I've needed them, and, I believe, drawn you here to learn along with me.  Isn't He kind and good?  Oh, we're going to have a good time!

Till Monday, walk in His way!

Heather

A Prayer for the Week, to Prepare

Friends, it is almost November!  That means this is coming up:

Woo-hoo!

I have been working my way through verses that have refuge in them and I am so excited to share observations with you and themes that have emerged.  God's Word is living and active; I am eager to see where He takes each of us personally as we look into His Word over the month of November, specifically focusing on Running to the Refuge.  I am praying for you!

My friend asked for homework to go along with the month's study.  Here's something for you to do this week in preparation.  Meditate on and pay these words from Psalm 16:1,

Keep me safe, O God,

for in You I take refuge.

Write it out on an index card and stick it on your bathroom mirror or dashboard, make it your screen saver or phone display, or find some other way you can remind yourself to meditate and pray over these words.

Ask yourself and the Lord:

• What does it mean for me to ask the Lord to keep me safe?  From what?  Unto what?
• Am I taking refuge in the Lord?  What does that mean?  How can I be more in the habit of doing so?

Can't wait to get started on Saturday!  Yet I'm not ready, so it's a good thing I have till Saturday.

Lots of love, dear readers.

Walk in His way!

Heather

The Deliverer's Deliverance

As a writer, I love words.  When a word I have not heard much lately pops up more than one time over a short period, particularly in the few hours we gather with our people at Graystone Presbyterian Church on a Sunday morning, I sit at attention.  That occurred this morning.

The 'word of the day' from my time at church this morning is deliverance.

First, it was mentioned during Sunday school in a talk about the sacraments.  Passover's New Testament equivalent is communion.  The pastor talked about how Israel was waiting for deliverance at the Passover, by the blood of the lambs.  We are delivered from our sin by the blood of The Lamb.  Communion is a time we remember, reflect on, and celebrate that deliverance.

Oh, the desperation of Israel to be delivered from slavery in Egypt.

Oh, our desperation to be delivered from slavery to sin.

Oh, the power of the Deliverer who comes to our rescue!

Sweet deliverance.  Thank you, Lord!

Following Sunday school, we headed up to the worship service and in the middle of one of the songs this bridge pops up on the screen:

Healer, Healer; I'm restored by a healer,

Provider, Provider; I am filled by a provider.

Deliverer, Deliverer; I'm set free by a deliverer.

Savior, You're my Savior, I'm redeemed by a Savior.

Did that say Deliverer?

Yep!  There it was again.  Our Deliverer has set us free, we were reminded.  Israel was set free from her earthly captor by Almighty God, foreshadowing the coming Messiah who would deliver all His people from their sin.

Have you considered your Deliverer today?  Have you rejoiced in Your deliverance on this Lord's Day?  Do you know the deliverance that comes from knowing Jesus as your own Deliverer?  If you are searching for freedom, look no further than Christ.

Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

November 2014 Series: a Sneak Peek

Hi all and welcome new readers!

Sorry it has been so quiet around here since the end of the last series.  I really would love to be one of those amazing disciplined ladies who have mastered home, family, homeschooling, and writing and (appear to) keep up with it well.  But I am not one of those ladies; I am me!  Nevertheless, I feel like a part of me is dead when I am not regularly writing.  So have no fear - I  know you were losing sleep over my absence around here - I am in the process of cooking up the annual November daily series.  I was working on it this morning.  See?!

Until today I didn't know that this amazing concordance, that Christine gave me years ago - thanks, Christine! - had both a Hebrew and Greek dictionary in it.  So this morning I was able to look up different words that in my New International Version are translated refuge, which will be next month's theme.

Here's a snazzy thingy I made on PicMonkey to go with it!

There was a period this past summer when I kept coming across the word refuge: in personal study, sermons, songs, etc.  My heart took great comfort and courage from the word each time.  Of course the courage and comfort came from knowing that God is that refuge, the only place I can run for sure safety, protection, security, love, forgiveness, and peace.

Soooooo, THAT is where we are going to go on this blog throughout November.  I want to take a deeper look at verses that mention refuge.  I also want discuss how we can take refuge in God in many different life situations.  I cannot wait to see what we can learn by LOOKING at God's Word, by LISTENING to what He has to say, and by LEARNING to Run to the Refuge over next month.

I hope you'll join me.  Bring along a friend!

Walk in His way,
Heather