“He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”

Psalm 91:2

 

God does provide places for us to take refuge and for those I am very grateful. As our shepherd He leads us into green pastures and beside quiet waters. I have fond memories of the sanctuary of the fellowship we were a part of for 20+ years. It was a place set apart that had been saturated with prayers, tears, and praises. I loved to be in that room, and I believe God did too.

 

It is certainly a noble ministry to create and provide such places for those young in the Lord or those who do not even know Him yet. But there is something that must precede such a ministry and that will live beyond it. That is BECOMING a sanctuary and a refuge.

 

God Himself IS our refuge and our fortress. To Him we can run and find safety and rest. To a certain extent Jesus was a haven to those who followed Him and were blessed by His teaching and miracles. But at the expense of immediate comfort of those first disciples, He established Himself as a refuge to all generations forever at the Cross. Their hopes were smashed to pieces there.

 

By His resurrection Spirit He has made Himself accessible to anyone in any land or age. The only requirements are that we feel our need for Him and believe in our hearts that God has brought His Spirit to us in Jesus Christ alone.

 

To the extent we take our refuge in Him, we become like Him; we become a refuge for those who have become desperate for help. Though we may not be able to provide a physical place for those people to come, nevertheless we create something very tangible.

 

We may buy land and build places of refuge for those in flight, but may God ensure that those places worth coming by working His grace and truth into us before the first fleeing soul puts his foot on the property.