Knowing God as Refuge

Have you ever been in a season of life when one crisis follows another and you need a refuge for protection?

One way to regain a solid footing during such times is to seek the refuge of God. This is not a specific geographic place, but rather an inner sanctuary where you rest in the presence and love of God. God is portrayed as a refuge for His people throughout the Bible.

The main concept of the Hebrew word for “refuge” is security.

During difficult times my heart longs for the refuge of God. The psalmist David often refers to God as being a refuge or dwelling place, as in Psalm 91:1-2 and Psalm 84:1-2.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:1-2

The dwelling place is a shelter of refuge and safety in the presence of God.

We can run to the refuge.

We can rest in the refuge.

We find restoration in the refuge, the replenishment of emotional and spiritual strength that comes only from God.

The following verses describe the restoration of the heart:

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. (Ps 84:5-7)

The “Valley of Baca” mentioned in this Psalm actually means a valley of weeping. It was a dry, barren passage that pilgrims passed through on the way to Jerusalem. The promise in these verses is that the place of weeping becomes a “place of springs,” or refreshment. There will hope in the difficult places by seeking refuge in the living water of the Word of God.

Psalm 84:7 describes the refining process of faith. The Psalmist speaks of going from “strength to strength”. The secret is found in the little word “to.” While we clearly enjoy the mountaintop experiences of life, more time is spent living in between the mountaintops, going from strength to strength.

When I received my first tongue cancer diagnosis, I had little emotional strength to deal with it because of facing many crises in the the year prior to it. As I passed through each crisis, I learned more about God’s faithful nature and saw how He cared about me. I ran to the refuge of my heart, where the peace of God comforted me in the midst of upheaval.

Intentional time spent reading scripture, praying, and journaling my thoughts brought steady healing to my soul. The desolate valley of my personal struggle became a place for restoration. With of the hope from restoration, I gained the perspective that God would use these trials for His good in my life.

He uses events to forge our character and to learn to trust his character in new ways.

We have the assurance from God that we will come out from these struggles stronger faith and trust in the Lord, like a new butterfly appearing from the chrysalis. Struggle is needed for the butterfly to fly free from its cocoon; as it emerges, its wings rub on the edges of the rough cocoon. The struggle actually prepares it wings for the next stage of life. It goes from the identity of the caterpillar, through struggle, to the identity of being a beautiful new creation. Likewise for us, struggles can refine and transform us to become a new handiwork for God, with greater hope and strength.

This promise puts the concept of going from strength to strength in perspective:

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10

When I first discovered the hope in those words, I was in a valley of discouragement. I saw that God’s grace would carry me through the struggle. Also, the difficult time would be temporary, because I would come through it to the other side. Often in the midst of crisis we think we will be stuck there forever. The verse ends with the promise of strength and restoration after the crisis.

The promise of restoration after suffering gives us hope! The pilgrimage of my faith has take me through dark valleys, but my faith is deeper and my stronger from learning to run to the refuge and find rest and restoration in the refuge, The Lord has restored my weary heart once again and I am more steadfast, refined by the power of His sustaining grace and love.

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deut. 33:27

If you’re in a struggle, seek the refuge of God for safety and restoration.