Our Refuge

“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.” 
Psalm 46:1-2

“The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:9). What a comfort it is, in these days of turmoil and opposition, to know that our Lord is “a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat...” (Isaiah 25:4).

Our refuge is strong and secure. The psalmist testifies, “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!’” (Psalm 91:2). Then God answers, “For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you...” (Psalm 91:9-10, and see also v. 10:13).

Not only does our refuge provide us safety and protection, but no other refuge will do. After identifying our refuge by the words, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed” (Isaiah 28:16). God warns that those who refuse will receive instead His “justice,” for He “will sweep away the refuge of lies” (Isaiah 28:17).
   
The apostle Peter, fresh from his personal encounters with his risen Lord, confronted the Jewish leaders with their serious error of rejection. “He is the stone which was rejected by you” (Acts 4:11).
In his charge, however, he included the precious truth, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved”
(Acts 4:12). Our refuge, our sure foundation, is none other than our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom we have “taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).