Our God of Refuge
Psalm 61:1 O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! 2 From the ends of the earth,
I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
3 for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! 6 I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night.7 Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.8 I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth.10 They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals. 11 But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear to tell the truth will praise him,while liars will be silenced.
Refuge (def) - shelter or protection from danger or distress. Have you ever been needing a shelter or protection from danger or distress? You probably have and so you know the God of refuge and how He not only comforts you, but protects you. In the scheme of things we see David, who was not yet king in position, but was King by anointing dealing with Saul (the present ruling king) because Saul was trying to find David and kill him. David, the man who defeats his 10,000's in battle. David ,the mighty warrior. David, the one chosen by the God of the universe to be king. David, the one who killed Goliath with one stone when he was just a boy. David, the man after God's own heart. David, as told in the book of 1 Samuel 24, slipped over the Saul's camp and found Saul asleep with his sword right beside him and Abishai said to David in verse 8 "God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time! Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear." David said "No! Don't kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord's anointed one?" David showed he could also wait on the Lord to fight those battles for him, even though it seemed so unfair. But it didn't take the hurt away or the fear of being killed or captured. So those emotions were real for David and they are real for us as well.
In Psalm 61 the mighty David was crying, crying out to God for help. David addresses God by saying O God, listen to my cry. As if God might not be listening to the cry of His servant David? David says "hear my prayer." As if God wasn't watching all that was happening and not hearing David's prayer? So David tells God what God already knows. David's heart is overwhelmed. God knows that!! David needs God's help to lead him to safety. God knows that!! David tells God that He is his safe refuge. God knows that!! This goes on and further helps us to realize that in David's cry there was a realization that He was at the end of his rope and needed God. When you are at the end of your rope and you are a believer you cry out to the only hope you have and that is Jesus. There are so many examples of people who were desperate and needing to be healed in the new testament and Jesus healed them. He gave sight to the blind, He gave strength to the legs of the lame, He cast demons out of the tormented, and even healed the servant of one man long distance. Jesus healed and still heals and He is our strong refuge also in our time of trouble.
Jesus is a very "present" God and just as present as God was for David in his time of trouble. He is our God of refuge who fights our fights for us and Jesus not only hears our cries, but responds. So trust Jesus as that refuge who shelters us under His mighty wings of love because He is the same Jesus who thought of you and me when He was on the cross dying for our sins. Here is another time when David cried out to God in Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! The storms of life may seem very very large right now in some of your lives, but the God of refuge is watching and hearing and moving to respond to our cries. He WILL come through for you!! He is Our God of Refuge....
The Pilgrimage continues....
David Warren