The Importance of Refuge

Reading through the Psalms, I find great encouragement in discovering how King David related to God. We need to read and investigate how others have followed God, and even more importantly, how God defined their relationship.

Today, there is so much false advertising when it comes to people professing how excellent their relationship is with God and how we should buy their latest book or CD to have the same wonderful experience. Marketing, even in Christian circles, can be so inflated. As a believer who has walked with the Lord for 48 year as of 2018, I have a hard time watching Christian TV because of all the hype they project in selling their wares. It reminds me of when I was a kid watching a Western on TV and there would be a guy coming into town driving a wagon with some advertisement for his “Miracle Elixir” that cured everything from sore feet to deadly diseases. They would define these charlatan medicine men as sellers of “Snake Oil” not real doctors. Unfortunately, there will always be counterfeits of just about any product that has value, and that includes Christian or religious product. Jesus gave this great advise:

Matthew 10:16 (NASB)

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

Then apostle Paul warned believers of the potential of being deceived because by Satan, as he is always looking for ways to make God’s word look like a lie. He and his army of demonic servants try to get us to embrace scripture which is twisted to accommodate self-centered desires both in the speaker and the hearer. This is similar to a person on TV or in some service telling the listener if they only give $500 the speaker will pray a prayer of healing and they will be healed. Instead of having discernment and detecting greed, the gullible listener pays the $500 in hope that it works. When it doen’t, they often blame God and lose heart. Paul said we should be aware that Satan can and will corrupt any person moving in a contrary spirit other than seeking God’s kingdom first.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (NASB)

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

Getting back to my original statement that I look for true accounts of people who had genuine walks with God, I am so encouraged by the scriptures portrait of King David’s life. God doesn’t try to candy coat his life by only putting positive story about David, but rather the word gives us both the good and bad about David. Though he was not a perfect man, he was a man who God defined as “A Man After God’s Heart” and that should speak volumes to us about looking into what made his such a man. Ps 5:11-12 for me reveals a lot in just two short verses:

Psalms 5:11-12 (NASB)

But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy;

And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exalt in You.

For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,

You surround him with favor as with a shield.

First David states he takes refuge in God and encourages others who are thinking about doing the same. Too many of us want to be strong on our own, like a child learning to walk. We want to do the walking by our own strength. David understood he was only strong as he abided in the refuge of God’s embrace.

Secondly, David prays for us to find the Lord’s refuge a shelter. The idea is that the refuge of God is for protection and the shelter of God is for comfort. The word picture David tries to convey is that he hopes and prays that we will find shade in the presence of the Lord. Too few believers understand the refuge and shelter of God are available and necessary to a healthy Christian life.

Thirdly, David says this shelter will be realized by those who love & exalt God’s name. Here is what I have discovered over the years: People who come into the presence of the Lord, say in a worship service, yet they are so full of worry or fear or other thoughts they don’t give God the attention he deserves and thus don’t honor his name or exalt him. We can be in the presence of the Lord, inches away from his majesty, and yet so far from any effect that we might as well be a 1,000 miles away.

Lastly, David say this person who has chosen the refuge of the Lord and is receiving the benefit of His presence will be blessed. How? By God surrounding him with favor! I mediated on this idea for a while and thought of how many times have I found favor with God and man because of following these steps, and yet I also considered the truth that I have often missed the favor of God because I did not embrace this promise from the Word. It is so easy to read the Word of God and still miss the intent. We memorize passages of scripture hoping that somehow it’s like having a rabbit’s foot in our pocket. I remember kids from my childhood that were told that a rabbit’s foot was special and could give you good luck. If you kept it with you and rubbed it periodically, you were all set. Even as a non-believer growing up, I thought this whole thing was ridiculous. But some kids swore by it.

As Christians, we can believe a corruption of scripture we heard some special speaker say and now this rabbit’s foot concept is part of our faith, corrupting our walk with God. Paul’s admonition to have our minds renewed, so we don’t think like the world is so important. The Holy Spirit can clear these wrong concepts from our thinking if we will only seek the Lord as our refuge and shelter.

Questions:

When was the last time you thought of God’s presence as a refuge? It can happen any where any place.

How often do you take time to be in the shelter of God’s presence? There is comfort and healing there.

May the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds to the wonder of the truth that is in God’s Word!

Pastor Dale