What do a battered-women’s home, a bomb shelter, and a castle all have in common? They are all refuges, strong and safe places in time of danger. They keep the bad guys away, while providing for security and other needs.
The word “refuge” doesn’t often come up in casual conversation. But we all know what it means, and we all wish for one occasionally.
God: The Best Refuge We Could Have
The Bible teaches that God is a refuge, a protector, a safe place. The Psalms, especially, say that He is, over forty times. Here are a few examples.
- Psalm 5:11 “Let all who take refuge in You be glad; Let them ever sing for joy“
- Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge“
- Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!“
- Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.“
- Psalm 71:1 “In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed.“
- Psalm 118:8-9 “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.“
- Psalm 141:8 “In You I take refuge; do not leave me defenseless.“
Many of these Psalms were written by King David. Despite being Israel’s greatest king and the designated line from which the Messiah would come, David spent years of his life in great danger 1.
- Before he became king, old King Saul was jealous of him and chased him all over the countryside trying to kill him.
- After Saul died, a large faction supported Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, even though David was the one anointed by God. It was only when Ish-bosheth was killed seven years later that David was finally acknowledged as king over then entire nation.
- During his reign, David repeatedly had to go to war against Israel’s enemies. He spent much of his life on the battlefield.
- Years later, his own son Absalom tried to usurp the throne. Rather than fight a direct war against his son, David left the capital of Jerusalem and hid in the wilderness. That’s what he had done during when evading Saul; he had come full circle. The impasse ended only when Absalom was killed…in direct disobedience to David’s command that his son’s life be spared.
- The whole mess had disorganized the kingdom so much that yet another challenger tried to take the throne. David had to deal with that rebellion also before he was finally able to fully settle back into his kingdom.
David knew what it was to need a refuge!
Psalm 91’s Promise of Refuge
There is one well-known Psalm that strikes me especially, Psalm 91. It starts with:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Verses 1-2
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
Even Satan knew to quote this Psalm. When tempting Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13), he asked “But doesn’t Scripture say that…
He will give His angels charge concerning you,
Verses 11-12
To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.“?
Jesus’ answer at the time was that Scripture also says not to put God to the test like this. Putting myself in danger just to see if God will rescue me is not what His refuge is all about!
There are both Biblical and current-day examples of miraculous rescues where God lived up to the promises in this Psalm. Think about the Hebrews crossing the Red Sea (Exodus 14), for instance. Or Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-23), or his friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3), or Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:22-34).
Modern stories abound also. Here are several from the Christian magazine/website “Guideposts“, one from “Bibles for Mideast“, and another from “GodReports“.
The Dilemma
But how do we reconcile God as a refuge with the undeniable fact that we still experience bad things? Many people find Psalm 91’s promises to be beautiful and comforting, and rightfully so. But I also find them to be a bit disturbing, because I know that believers do suffer despite their faith. Think of Job’s horrible suffering, Paul’s laundry list of difficulties, and the centuries of Christian martyrs continuing right up through today.
And remember, even Jesus suffered. In fact, He was known as “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). Then He told His disciples that we would also: “In the world you have tribulation…”.
Where’s the refuge in that? Is this Psalm untrue? How do we resolve the conflict?
The answer is in the rest of Jesus’ sentence: “…but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Based on that, I submit that the reconciliation we need has a couple of factors. One: God is not a refuge from trouble; He is a refuge in the midst of trouble. Two: God is an eternal refuge, not just a temporal one; His protection extends beyond this life.
Refuge in the Midst of Trouble
Looking back at the rescue stories above, there is something to notice: God did not keep these people wrapped in bubble-wrap in a padded room, safe from all scary things. He didn’t keep Daniel out of the lion’s den, or keep his friends out of the furnace. Instead, God was with them during the scary things (even very literally and physically present in the furnace!)
Similarly, in the (seeming) non-rescues above, look what God did. Job’s fortunes were restored; Paul’s legacy lives on throughout the New Testament; the witness of the martyrs has brought millions to Christ. There is a quote attributed to the early Church father Tertullian that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” 2. The more Christians are persecuted, the faster the Church grows. We see this happening still throughout the world today, in China’s house churches, for instance. And, as always, Jesus is the best example. Out of His suffering came the redemption of all believers, and He was once again exalted as the Name above all names (Philippians 2:9-11).
We see that, even in the midst of trouble, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Eternal Refuge
An important point to understand is that God’s perspective is far beyond ours. We look at our own lives, and define “good” and “bad” based on our current circumstances. God’s definition of good and bad is based on His eternal plan, and on whether we are growing closer to Him and more like Jesus through those circumstances.
Even if God’s good plan for us includes allowing us to stub our toes — to face terror, arrows, pestilence, plague, etc. — no evil will permanently befall those who take refuge in Him. A couple of million years from now, we’ll look back from Heaven and say along with Paul that the “momentary, light affliction” has produced for us “an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
No matter what he throws at us, Satan will not win. God will continue to say of each of His people:
Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
Psalm 91:14-16
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With a long [actually, everlasting!] life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.
I hope this old hymn, one of many written by Martin Luther in the 1500’s, feels even more meaningful now, because we know that “A Mighty Fortress is Our God!”
A similar article on this site is “Rock of Ages“.
Footnotes and Scripture References
- The story is told in the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. See a series of summary articles here.
- The quote is a simplified version of what he really said in his “Apologeticus” in 200 A.D.: “But do your worst, and rack your inventions for tortures for Christians—it is all to no purpose; you do but attract the world, and make it fall the more in love with our religion ; the more you mow us down, the thicker we rise; the Christian blood you spill is like the seed you sow, it springs from the earth again, and fructifies the more.“