Who Do You Think I Am? - Our Refuge

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. - Psalm 9:9 

God is our refuge.  Merriam Webster defines  refuge as "shelter or protection from danger or distress; a place that provides shelter or protection; something to which one has recourse in difficulty."  Those are all good definitions, but if you want to get some heavenly glory bumps, read what the King James Dictionary has to say about the word refuge:

 "That which shelters or protects from danger, distress or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; any place inaccessible to an enemy."

 Hallelujah!

We will talk about several of these other terms (stronghold, sanctuary, etc.) as we get further along in this study, but I love how this one word encompasses so much.  With a single term, we are made aware that God shelters us from harm, protects us from the enemy, holds us firmly by His strength, hides us in the shadow of His wings and makes us inaccessible to the enemy.  What an excellent word, but more than that, what an awesome God!

I am drawn to that last phrase:  inaccessible to an enemy.  With God on my side, nothing can harm me unless He allows it.

 I'm reading through the story of David in my daily devotions, and I see how many times God was his refuge.  In his many years hiding from Saul, David was protected from the enemy.  At one point, Saul even entered the cave where David and his men were hiding, yet David remained inaccessible to the king.  Why?  Because God was His refuge.  God had big plans for David, and those plans didn't involve death by Saul.

Here's what really gets me.  God knew David, past, present and future.  He knew all the good David would do, but he also knew how David would fail.  Yet, with that knowledge, God still provided shelter, safety, sanctuary and protection.  He didn't have to, but His love for David, in spite of his many failures, drove Him to be the refuge David needed.

Likewise, God knows me.  He knows the good I have done and will do, but He also knows how many times I will fall flat on my face or walk away from His will.  Still, even with that knowledge, He loves me enough to offer me a refuge.  Day after day.  Time after time.  Even when the one from whom I need protection is my flesh or my wayward thoughts, He's there for me.  

He will never leave me nor forsake me.  He is always available and always willing and able to protect me from the enemy.

With that knowledge, I can stand boldly and say, "I'm not afraid of you, enemy because, with God as my refuge, you can't get to me!"  (Oddly enough, I feel the need to add a "Nana-nana-boo-boo" right here.)

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31

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