My Stronghold and Refuge

David said the words of this song to Adonai on the day Adonai delivered him from the power of all his enemies and from the power of Saul. He said:

“Adonai is my Rock, my fortress and deliverer,
3 the God who is my Rock, in whom I find shelter,
my shield, the power that saves me,
my stronghold and my refuge.
My savior, you have saved me from violence.
4 I call on Adonai, who is worthy of praise;
and I am saved from my enemies." - 2 Samuel 22:2-4

There are 2 interesting words that stand out from these reading today.

Stronghold - this is a place that is difficult for our enemies to access. In David's time this would have been a physical place, but it can also be a spiritual castle. God is our Stronghold!

Refuge - this is obviously a place of safety and where we can escape to. This place offers us a chance to hide away, but also to recoup and gather our strength for the next battle ahead. 

May God be your Stronghold and Refuge today. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A safe Harbour

Harbours are built to shelter boats/ships from the chaos of the sea. They provide rest and refuge for the vessels, and allow the sailors chance to catch their breath, re-stock the vessel, and prepare for the next journey.

What if we saw the presence of God as one of these safe places - a refuge - a harbour? 

What if we realised that God allows us moments to withdraw from the chaos of the sea and to rest in the still waters?

Read what Psalm 107 says: 

23 Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world.
24 They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,
his impressive works on the deepest seas.
25 He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves.
26 Their ships were tossed to the heavens
and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.
28 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
29 He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.
30 What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbour!

Thought: Do you need to pull into the harbour of God's grace today? What is stopping you?

Living in grace

D3LM3

Refuge - a place of safety

"Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life." - Psalm 142:5

The word Refuge is mentioned over 23 times in the book of Psalms alone, as well as in many other places in the Bible. It is a wonderful reminder for all of us, that when we face difficult times, we know that God will be our place of rest and safety. 

Deuteronomy 33:27 - The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.

2 Samuel 22:3 - my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my Saviour, the one who saves me from violence.

Nahum 1:7 - The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

Thought: No matter what you are facing this week, remember that you can also take refuge in the presence of Jesus.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

To flee or take refuge?

Sound advice is often hard to come by. 

It seems that King David was given advice to 'flee like a bird to the mountains' (Psalm 11), but he wasn't too enamoured with that suggestion. It is possible that he was being attacked and pursued by his enemies, yet David didn't want to give into their demands and evil tactics. He wanted to make a stand. 

His statement of faith was this:

"In the Lord I take refuge!" (Psalm 11:1)

There are times when good people may give us very helpful advice, but we still need to place our trust in someone (something). David was willing to proclaim that God was his refuge. I am grateful that we can say the same thing.

Thought: What is the difference between having complete faith in God's protection or simply ignoring sound advice? Do you find that the line is a little blurred? 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Taking refuge

Augustine wrote a beautiful prayer, which is recorded in a collection entitled Little Book of Prayers. I pass it onto you and pray that it may bless you today.

"Father, you are full of compassion, I commit and commend myself unto you, in whom I am,
and live, and know. Be the GOAL of my pilgrimage, and my REST by the way.
Let my soul take refuge from the crowding turmoil of worldly thoughts beneath the shadow of your wings; Let my heart, this sea of restless waves, find peace in you, O God. Amen."

Psalm 91:1 - Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

May you find your refuge in the shelter of the most high.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

His way is in the storm

"His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet." - Nahum 1:3

I love this verse so much. It reminds me that God's way may take us through the desert, storm and clouds, but God is in that WAY.

It is a timely reminder that God is with us through everything that we go through. Hold onto that promise today.

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him." - Nahum 1:7

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Strong Tower

Each one of us will turn to different people or things to help us get through difficult times. The writer of Proverbs 18 contrasts two different extremes of this:

"The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;  the righteous run to it and are safe.
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale." - Proverbs 18:10-11

For the person who loves God, they will run to the 'name of the Lord' which will be their security, refuge and strength. Once we hide in the name of the Lord we are safe and we can trust in God's promises to guide us through the troubled waters.

For the person who has a lot of wealth the temptation is to place their trust in financial security - I guess the underlying thought is "money can buy me everything I need and this will be my comfort and hope. No one can reach me over the high walls of this cover."

Sadly, there are many stories of how money, wealth and power all let people down in the end. I know that God will never disown us or let us down. It is worth thinking about!?

“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into light.”- Hellen Keller

“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” —Robert H. Schuller

“With God, you are stronger than your struggles and more fierce than your fears. God provides comfort and strength to those who trust in Him. Be encouraged, keep standing, and know that everything's going to be alright.” - Germany Kent

Living in Grace
D3LM3

That picture!

There are a few iconic pictures, paintings and photos that speak such volumes into our lives. One of them is the photo I have attached. I was reminded of this photo during this last week and, being a preacher, I had to use it in my sermon yesterday.

Have a look at the picture and reflect on these few words from Psalm 46. I will share some more thoughts on this later in the week - so keep reading :)

Psalm 46:1 - God is our REFUGE and Strength, an ever present help in trouble.

Today, may you hold onto this powerful image and the words of this Psalm.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

God is ...

When David was going through a tough time he reminded himself, as well as the people of Israel, what God was really like. He used some delightful word pictures in Psalm 144 to describe Yahweh.

"He is my loving ally
and my fortress,
my tower of safety,
my deliverer.
He stands before me as a shield,
and I will take refuge in him." - Psalm 144:2

Pcik one of this images of God and dwell on this today.
May God bless you and keep you.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Clash of the Clans

My kids have become all excited about the game 'Clash of the Clans.' If you want to know more about the game, have a look at it here. Part of the game is that you need to build a village and then fight against other armies, doing a whole lot of other things along the way. Watching them build their village made me think of these words from Isaiah, where he speaks about God taking care of us. It is almost as if we are his 'city' and God does all he can to protect and defend us.


1 "We have a strong city;
    God makes salvation
    its walls and ramparts.
² Open the gates
    that the righteous nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³ You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
⁴ Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal." - Isaiah 26:1-4

May you rest in the safe surrounds of our Almighty God.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

What is your Anchor?

I have long been fascinated by this verse from Acts 27 and so when it came up in our preaching series this week, I enjoyed reflecting on it again.

Acts 27:29 – “Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.”

This event took place when Paul was on board a cargo ship to Rome. A storm came up and threatened to wreck the boat. Even though Paul was being held as a prisoner, he still encouraged them to drop 4 anchors into the water, desperately hoping they would survive. 

In the end, they all lived to tell the tale, but it got me thinking about my own life. When the storms hit us without warning, what anchors do we have in place, that we can use to keep us secure? Do we have faith in God, our refuge and rock, to get us through the worst of the storm?

I shared my 4 "Anchors" with the congregation yesterday, but I would love to hear what your Anchors may be? If you have 1 minute please drop me a comment/email with your thoughts. Thanks.

May God hold you secure this week and always.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A person of Refuge - Lent 31

 
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer

I have to disagree with Mr Schweitzer on this point (and I hope not to offend you cat-lovers out there!) Both music and cats may offer some temporary distraction from the 'miseries of life', but I would not consider them to be places of refuge. In fact, I believe that true refuge can only be sought in a person - in particular, Jesus.

It is in Jesus that I find shelter, comfort, protection, relief and freedom from my struggles. This is regardless of the 'place' I may find myself. We know that our difficulties may not be removed from us permanently, but we need to be reminded that we can turn to God for true refuge.

David understood this well. Read his words in Psalm 31:

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    deliver me in your righteousness.
² Turn your ear to me,
    come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress to save me.
³ Since you are my rock and my fortress,
    for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
⁴ Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
    for you are my refuge.

Just out of interest - David is pointing out that God 'has been' a refuge in the past; He 'will be' a refuge in the future & God is a refuge in the present.

Be blessed by the love of God today.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Running for dear life - Lent 11

I can remember one incident clearly, where I ended up 'running for dear life.' We were caught in a thunderstorm at Dover Castle in England. We had left the castle and we running to our car, which was quite a distance away. I still recall a bolt of lightning striking the ground a few meters from us - to say we were scared is an understatement! ....So, I understand the phrase 'running for dear life!'

Psalm 11:1 (Message)
"I’ve already run for dear life
    straight to the arms of God.
So why would I run away now..."

At times we can be so afraid of what is happening around us that we turn and run. Running away from danger is not a bad option, but we must remember to run into the arms of Jesus. He is our refuge and strength. God is our protector and safe haven.

Let's not run away from God, when the times are tough. Run towards God!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

City of Refuge

Joshua 20 speaks about 'Cities of Refuge.' When people had committed a sin 'unintentionally' they needed a place to flee from the community who may have been keen on revenge. These cities offered a place of hope and safety. The sinners were secure in the walls of the city.

Isn't this what Jesus does for us? He is our 'city of refuge' - when we have sinned, we know that we can turn to him and he will not cast us out!

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

May you find refuge in the arms of Jesus.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3