Take Refuge
Dear Faith Family,
Let me dwell in Your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of Your wings! (Psalm 61:4).
My refuge is failing! Let me explain. Almost twenty-five years ago, our house was constructed. Shingles were laid as a covering, a roof, a shelter, a refuge to protect us from when the sky is leaking (you know – rain and snow and sleet and leaves and pinecones). That’s somewhere around 1150 inches of rain (almost 100 feet of rain) that have traveled across our shingles! What a refuge!
But (insert concerned face emoji here) a couple of years ago I discovered a leak. Say it isn’t so! Somewhere south of seven hundred and thirty-two different roofing companies have stopped by to offer a free look at our roof. One of those roofing companies, maybe number two or three, provided an estimate for the repairs. Repairs were completed as estimated. Refuge restored.
But (yup – another concerned face emoji) then this year I noticed yet another leak. Refuge failing. Again?! Company number two returned. Repairs completed. And then? Words that still echo in my mind: “Your roof is done.” Not as in repairs completed. Instead, complete failure. It’s time for a new roof, a new refuge.
Those words stood my attention at attention. I got to thinking, I wonder how many times we’ve been satisfied with temporary refuges? How many are the times that we’ve overlooked the forever shelter of our God that we might find temporary shelter elsewhere.
What is it that helps you to sleep at night? What tames your anxious thoughts? Where does your security rest? What single change (or changes) in your life would produce peace of heart and mind? Strategic circumstances? Prized possessions? Are those our sought-after refuges? Although a new roof will shield our home when the sky leaks, there is much that the new roof cannot handle. And even the new roof will prove temporary.
God, on the other hand, is our permanent tent, a never leak roof! Take refuge in Him today. How? One: Talk to Him - call out to Him. Cast your care upon Him. Make Him the source of your security, your refuge. Two: Obey Him – do what He says in His Word. Trust His wisdom. Three: Praise Him – recount the promises and performances of our God. Recognize Him for who He is and honor Him.
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