GOD IS OUR REFUGE
Psalm 60-62
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
I’m sure there are times in our life when we wish we had more money, more power, more abilities. The strange thing is that when we look at people who have these in spades, they too want more and more. They are like a drug that can only increase your hunger rather than satisfy.
When you listen to King David speaking to his God, mindful that he, being king, has everything, you realise that the things that are really important are outside the reach of money, power and ability. David speaks of rest, hope, refuge, honour and security and he finds them in God alone, not money, power and ability. “Human help is worthless”, David declares, and we realise that the victory he speaks of goes beyond the day-to-day challenges to a deep satisfaction of the restless soul. “Rest, hope, refuge, honour and security” are the ultimate food for the soul and they are found in God.
So perhaps we do well to listen to David as he tells us the secret to a fulfilled life: Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.” Instead, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
This is because God is faithful: faithful even to chastise us when we stray onto paths that lead to destruction; faithful that when he is angry it will never be to the point of no return; faithful to hear us when we call; faithful to be mindful of the desires of our hearts; faithful to reward our faithfulness and our sincere response to him.
At the same time, God is all powerful: powerful to thwart the wiles of the wicked; powerful over all authorities and all realms; powerful to realise all that he intends; powerful to accomplish what we cannot.
Even as David reaches out to us to share with us his experience, perhaps we also need to ask ourselves whether it is wise for us to so readily turn to the world for so much of our life and miss the rest, hope, refuge, honour and security that we can have in God alone.
“Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.”