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The Consequences of Our Confession: “God is
our Refuge” by Dr. Santhosh J. Sahayadoss, Professor in Christian Theology
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Our con- fessions have
consequences. If we confess that “God is good all the time,” then praise will be continually in our mouth. We cannot but be praising God all the time. If we confess that “God’s mercies are new every morning,” then we will be gracious to all peo- ple because we have received enough and more grace. If we confess that “As far as the East is from the West so far has God removed our transgressions,” then we will forgive everyone who has done harm to us. In the same way, if we confess that “God is our Refuge,” then there are a few consequences of this confession we make. Let us reflect on three consequenc- es that emerge from Psalm 46 out of our confession that “God is our Refuge.”
Those Consequences are
as follows:
a) Confession of “God as our Ref- uge” leads to overcoming our fears .
b) Confession of “God as our Ref- uge” results in having God as our only security .
c) Confession of “God as our Refuge” teaches us to be still .
First, confessing that “God is our Refuge” leads us to overcome our fears. The Psalmist affirms that even though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, we will not fear . Fear is the result of a lack in trusting God as our Refuge . We need to have the faith of Job to say, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” God is a good father whose fatherhood is greater than any man . Therefore, in challenging times we must believe in God’s goodness . Then, there shall be no room for fear .
We are living in times where fear is plaguing the minds of many peo- ple . The “New Normal” because of the pandemic causes much fear and anxiety among some of us . We need to cast our anxieties and fears in the presence of God and take ref- uge . Consequently, if we choose to confess that “God is our Refuge,” then we will learn not to fear . We will learn to say “Come what may” we will take refuge in God, the Al- mighty as we learn to walk with him .
Secondly, confessing that “God is our Refuge,” results in having God as our only security. Human beings put their trust in so many things . Some put their trust and se- curity in human relationships; some put their trust and security in wealth and riches; some put their trust in their wisdom and knowledge; and