Taking Refuge in the Lord
I met with a friend this week who was going through the most difficult season of life that he had ever faced. Things were being ripped apart from him. His entire life was changing. The enemy was assaulting him and on full attack.
But when I met with him, he said, “Even though this all hurts so bad, I feel God with me. I sense His overwhelming presence in the middle of the pain and the hurt.”
He was taking refuge in the Lord. Finding shelter in Him. Experiencing the security and safety found in His Fortress.
We can try to find that refuge, security, and safety in other things. Netflix, YouTube, social media, and all kinds of coping mechanisms can be used to escape, but it will only mask what is taking place. Eventually, it might even exacerbate the fear, worry, anxiety, loneliness that you feel.
Real refuge is only found in the Lord.
Refuge In The Lord
One of the places we see refuge being found in the Lord repeatedly is in the Psalms.
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. (Psalm 5:11)
Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. (Psalm 25:20)
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. (Psalm 18:11)
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)
If you skipped over reading those verses, please slow down and go back and read them before continuing to read ahead. Notice their emotions. It sure seems like the psalmists weren’t just being poetic. They were finding and experiencing real refuge in the Lord.
Notice in Psalm 18 and 91 that there is even reference to the Lord being a fortress. When you think of a fortress, what do you picture? Security, safety, peace.
Real refuge is found in the Lord. Even in the middle of life’s overwhelming chaos and the spiritual attacks of darkness from the enemy, security, safety, and peace can be experienced in the Lord. Real protection from the enemy is found in the Lord as your fortress and your strong tower.
Experiencing Refuge Through Union with Jesus
As new covenant believers, we are in an eternal, spiritual union with Jesus. He is in you, and you are in Him. You are spiritually seated in heaven.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God…3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1,3)
If you’ve been raised with Christ, and Christ is seated at the right hand of God in heaven, think about the refuge that is found there. Paul says your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Satan can’t attack you there. This is a place of safety, security, rest, and peace. It’s a place of refuge, and you dwell there all the time.
But you also live in this world, and Satan can attack you here. He’ll throw everything at you in this world to distract, disrupt, and destroy.
If we keep our eyes, thoughts, and focus on all the chaos in our daily routines and things going on around us, then we’ll feel all of that chaos. We’ll experience distraction, disruption, and destruction in our lives. We’ll feel overwhelmed all of the time.
But as the psalmists described, we can take refuge in the Lord. Even though you dwell in His fortress and shelter in the heavens above, you must take hold of the refuge you have in Him.
That means we must pause long enough to reorient ourselves inward to Christ in us and us in Christ. When we set our hearts and minds on our union with Him and picture that fortress that covers us, we’ll begin to experience refuge. We’ll take hold of the refuge we have in Christ.
Don’t continue to let Satan overwhelm you with the chaos of life. It’s not your reality. You dwell in the shelter of the Most High. Take refuge in the Lord.
“The Most High, our Father, is the ultimate dwelling place. Here we discover true comfort, security, and rest.” (John Eldredge, Experience Jesus. Really.)
Pause right now, turn to Psalm 91, and read through all of it, slowly. Picture refuge in your mind as you read. Allow yourself to feel refuge as you read. Maybe even read it a second or third time until you experience refuge in the Lord.
In this present age we are all becoming disciples of the Internet. We are addicted to distraction. We idolize our instant access to a never-ending avalanche of information. We think we're finally holding the keys to a better life.
But if that's true, why are we wrestling with ever-increasing levels of anxiety, dissatisfaction, and despair? The fact is, we live in a world of weary, skeptical pragmatism--and it's keeping us from experiencing the God we are dying without.
John Eldredge presents a powerful alternative to the soulless, disenchanted world we find ourselves living in today…
Every human yearns to return to Eden, to a state of unbroken communion with the God who created us for adventure and intimacy with him.
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