Seeking Refuge
“To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.” Psalm 57:1
When David fled from Saul to a cave, he placed his trust in God to be his refuge. The cave provided physical protection, but his refuge wasn’t the cave; it was the Lord. If you’re anything like I am, perhaps you tend to fly right over words, skimming through them, seeing them on the surface, understanding them the way you always have. Oh, but when the Spirit of God leads me deeper, when He takes me to a rich understanding of them, when He brings me below the surface to the deep treasures beneath, how marvelous!
Ever considered the word trust? Or refuge? Or calamities? The words “trust” and “refuge” in the above verse both are translated from the Hebrew word חָסָה, or chasah, which means “A primitive root; to flee for protection…figuratively, to confide in — have hope, make refuge, (put) trust,” per Strong’s concordance. Calamity means per dictionary.com, “a great misfortune or disaster, as a flood or serious injury” and “grievous affliction; adversity; misery:.” When we face adversities in our lives, where do we run for refuge? Where do we place our trust? What, or whom, do we seek? Do we go running to the world and the things and people in it, or do we come running with our hurting hearts and our overwhelmed minds into the shelter of an intimate relationship with the Lord?
When we trust God, we put our hearts and lives in His loving hands. He is our refuge. God wants us to place our trust in Him. Do we really understand what this means? He wants us to seek refuge and find hope in Him, to flee to Him for protection, to confide in Him. To cry out to Him. To nestle in His arms. To take comfort in His Word. To call out to Him and hear Him speak to us through His Word as well as personally to us as individuals in line with His Word. To bask in His love. To rest in His promises poured out in His Word. To be filled with His Spirit promised to believers in Jesus who receive the gift of His Spirit. To lean into Him. To depend on Him. To yield to His tender loving care. To spend time in His presence. To be still before Him. To cry our tears into His shoulder. To receive His comfort. To be protected by Him from the storms. To let Him clean our wounds with the balm of His scriptures. To know He understands. He cares. He loves. To rest in Christ. To know no matter how much it hurts, or how scary it is, He is there with us when we believe in Jesus and follow Him.
Is the Lord your trust? Your refuge? Your hope?