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Take Refuge in God!
by Jacob Varghese, New Theological College Bursar
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This world is be- coming a
more and more unstable and dangerous place to live. Of course, the storms of this life are not limited to the weath- er. The news coming from all around the globe are filled with daily stories of racism, massacre, human cruelty, crime, terrorism, war, and human suffering. Every day we are confronted with vari- ous problems.
The political climate in our nation and in the world around us is worsen- ing with growing unease and worry . We all have family, friends, and loved ones who are fighting personal battles that are constantly in our thoughts and prayers . And we have battles of our own . We all do . It can feel overwhelm- ing – a storm surge that threatens to drown out all else . Where to turn?
When things are changing and threatening around you, focus your at- tention on God . Psalm 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-pre- sent help in trouble .” To take refuge in God means despite our underlying cir- cumstances we can make the decision to put our lives in the hands of God and to find complete security in Him . This means that when we are weak, we are able to look to our Father in heaven and find refuge – a place of security and home, in Him .
Psalm 46 praises God for being a source of power and salvation in times of trouble . It says firstly, “God is our refuge”. What is the biblical definition of refuge? Refuge means a shelter or protection from danger or distress, a place that provides shelter or protec- tion and something to which one has remedy in difficulty . The word refuge means a shelter, hope, trust . It speaks of a place of safety . In the Old Testament times, when someone committed acci- dental manslaughter, s/he could flee to a city of refuge to escape the avenger . Yes, trouble comes into all of our lives, but we can seek refuge in the Lord . He protects us in times of trouble . Prov- erbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe .” This idea is expressed many times in the Bible . David always found refuge in the Lord when his en- emies sought his life . Saul pursued Da- vid for many years, yet God always pro- tected him . David knew that the Lord was watching over him .
Our God is a strong shelter and a rock of refuge in whom we can hide during the storms and difficulties of life . He is our tower of strength, our firm fortress and our secure stronghold to whom we can run for protection and safety in an increasingly Christ-reject- ing and God-denying world . But we need to realize who our enemy is . Who is our true enemy from whom we need refuge and shelter? Possibly we have already found that we have enemies . Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in