Have you ever been in an emergency situation and needed a place of refuge? I have. It was the year 1995. My husband was 230 miles away being cared for by his parents as he recovered from being in a plane crash. I was in Pensacola, Fl working and caring for our 20 month old daughter. I woke up that morning to discover a strong hurricane had suddenly turned in the night and was heading directly for our coastline. I picked up my mom and a quick pack of things to head to where my husband was. 8 hours later we were only 40 miles north of Pensacola and traffic accidents had bogged down all of the major roadways. We kept hearing on the radio it wasn’t safe to stay in your car. We were tired, hungry and it would be getting dark soon. This was before cell phones, GPS or internet. I prayed for God’s intervention. I needed a rescuer and a place of refuge. How relieved I was to see a police officer’s car on the side of the road. I stopped and asked for help and he gave me directions to a high school that had been turned into a shelter. I never would have found this place located in a very rural area on my own. We were able to get a warm meal, stretch our legs, contact my worried husband and watch coverage of the storm on TV. God watched over us that day and night, providing who and what we needed. I am confident of that. And oh, how my heart rejoiced!
What is a refuge? A refuge is a place that provides shelter or protection or it can be something to which one has recourse in difficulty. Perhaps you’ve seen in a parking garage a designated “Place Of Refuge”. These are places you can go in times of emergency and they often have 2 way communication with the rescuers. The Scriptures tell us in many places that God is our refuge place in the midst of the difficulties and dangers we face. But, we have to seek His refuge. We can’t stay exposed and vulnerable spiritually, trying to make it on our own in the midst of the dangers. To make God our refuge means we seek Him and have connection with Him so that He can guide us, and provide His spiritual resources for us. He delights to help us and have us depend upon Him. Perhaps you have your own personal experience of finding refuge in a perilous circumstance. If so, please share on our fb page.
Challenge: Are you depending on God to be your place of refuge? Are you staying connected to your spiritual lifeline? If not, make a point to intentionally seek Him in some way and make this a daily connection. It could be through prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other Christians, etc.