Imagine you are out on the beach. It's a beautiful sunny day and you are enjoying the peaceful sound of the waves lap against the shore. How relaxing it is! Suddenly, the sky turns dark, and a violent wind starts blowing. The waves start churning. Lightning and thunder collide as rain falls on the sand. You begin to look around for a place of shelter. You see a cave and make a run for it. At last, you have found a refuge from the storm.
What exactly is a refuge? Webster defines a refuge as, "Shelter or protection from danger or distress; something to which one has recourse in difficulty."
We needed a refuge to save us from the guilt of sin and eternal damnation. Jesus Christ came and died on the cross and carried our sins away. Hebrews 6:18 says, "That by 2 immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us."
A refuge can be natural, such as a cave or a peaceful place where you find sanctuary. Some people "have made lies" their refuge like in Isaiah 28:15. However, the greatest refuge is found in God.
The Lord is our refuge from satan's attacks. Deuteronomy 33:27 declares, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them." 2 Samuel 22:3 says, "The God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Saviour; Thou savest me from violence." Psalm 9:9 asserts, " The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble." Psalm 57:1 expresses, "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." Isaiah 25:4 affirms, " For Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. " Ultimately, God is everything we need Him to be for us.
Just like a child who runs to his parents' bedroom during a thunderstorm for comfort, don't be afraid to run to Jesus Christ during any calamity that you face in your life. He promised to always be there for you. His love for you does not change. He is ever faithful. He is your personal refuge!
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