“He said: ‘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. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me.’” 2 Samuel 22:2-3 NIV
My childhood home did not have a basement. I can remember being afraid because we had no place to go if a tornado came. That was until our family became acquainted with our neighbors who had a cellar. They told us that we were always welcome to seek shelter there during a storm.
One day a severe storm rolled in. The skies suddenly became black, and the tornado warning sirens went off. Mom told us to run for the neighbor’s cellar. As we darted across our yard, the wind began to blow, and the rain started to pour. As we quickly entered the safety of that small room, large hail began to fall. After our neighbor closed the door, I breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing I was safe from everything that was going on outside that place of refuge.
Our focus verses this month are on the word “refuge.” A refuge is defined as a place that shelters and protects from danger, distress, or calamity. It is a place of security and safety. It is a place that is inaccessible to an enemy.
It is a fact that each of us will experience many storms as we journey through this life. Jesus assured us of this when He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Storms will come. The enemy will attack and assault again and again. However, just like the cellar I ran to, believers always have a shelter to run to in the midst of the storms and/or the attacks. We have a place of protection that is always safe and secure, inaccessible to the enemy of our souls. Who and where is that place? God’s Word tells us plainly that God is our refuge. It is when we dwell in Him that we are protected from the dangers, the distresses, and the destruction. It is when we remain in Him that we are safe and secure.
When God is our refuge, we do not have to fear the possibility of danger, distress, or calamity. We do not have to fear the enemy who “comes only to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). We do not have to believe the lies that our circumstances will blow us away. When we dwell in God, who is our refuge, we can be assured that there is no circumstance, danger, or distress that can ever harm us. We can say as David did in our verses above, God is “my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior.”
As I write the words above, the winds are blowing, and the rain is pouring down in my life. I am sitting here at the University of Missouri Medical Center next to my Dad who has multiple fractures in his back. We are waiting to hear what will happen next. The storm of uncertainty rages all around us. The lies of the enemy are falling like hail. However, my dad and I have decided to run to our God and take refuge in Him. Years ago, I experienced the safety and security of our neighbor’s cellar, a physical refuge; and today Dad and I are experiencing the safety and security of God, our spiritual refuge. The door through which we have entered our refuge is faith. We are determined to believe that no matter what God is for us, and we will trust in Him entirely and completely. We know our God will never fail.
Do you find yourself in a storm today? May I encourage you to run to and dwell in the same refuge my dad and I have found. Like us, you will say with assurance that “God is my rock, in whom I take refuge….” No plan of the enemy to harm you will succeed. Rest safe and secure in your God who is your stronghold, your refuge, and your Savior.
Our song this week is “Praise You in the Storm” by Natalie Grant.
Love,
Janet Nelson, Devoted and Determined
https://mailchi.mp/wowjcmo/wow-devotion-john-6227929?e=6c56f70e45
Your Love 