Refuge!

Refuge!

Psalm 46:1 AMPC

[1] GOD IS our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

This is a psalm written by the sons of Korah. We do not know the context, but there is no doubt about the depth of the message. You do not speak like this without some deeply personal experience of the God referred to in the verse above. Mature men are confident to speak about someone or something they know quite well, and this also applies here. Can I say with utmost confidence that I know this God that the sons of Korah spoke of in the verse above? I also note that it went far beyond just hearsay; as much as it is nice to hear others speak about God, it is even more important to know Him for yourself. 

When trials and tough times come, you really cannot depend on just what someone else has said. It has to be something you have personally found to be true, proven by personal experience. Another thing that is clear from the verse above is that you do not come to such a conclusion without some rough and tough times. How do you call God a refuge if you have never had to run to Him for safety from danger or trouble? How do you find God to be a place of strength if there had not been times of weakness, discomfort, pain or failure? Again, this is the power of personal experience. Men can speal of what they know, but they cannot experience God on your behalf. 

He has walked in my own shoes, so His experiences have become sources of help and inspiration for me. He was tempted by the devil, and whatever it is that we go through today has already been answered and provided for by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just like a definition of 'refuge' lays out, it means protection, shelter, or a safe place that keeps you away from danger, trouble, or hardship. Of course, there must be danger for a refuge to make sense. The human experience is unpredictable; God does nor promise a life free of trouble, but that in spite of what comes, there is a presence that stays true. 

The verse above also refers to the same God as a very present and well-proved help in trouble. Again, how do you prove this to be true if life was all a bed of roses? How do you test the veracity of this claim if you never had pressure? I must value the blessings of this life which enable me learn the value of God’s presence and power.  It does not matter how bad things get or how deep problems go; God is ever-present. He stays in when everyone else steps out. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has not changed or moved; if He seems far, I must check where I am and where I have been. He is that faithful. God’s time of favour is here.