Blessed Refuge
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. - Psalm 34:8 NIV
Yesterday, for the second time in a month, I did not want to go to church. My calendar had been pretty busy, I was going to be out most of the afternoon playing golf (yes, I've played too much golf lately, but the weather has been so nice!) and I just wanted some extended time alone in prayer, bible reading and journaling. However, when the time came to get ready to go, I did finally decide that I couldn't miss church because of the busyness I felt when I was going to spend 4 hours on the golf course that afternoon. If anything was to be sacrificed, it was not going to be church.
Enough with my confessions though, although my church experience is a very integral part of this post. The verse from Psalm 34:8 quoted above was printed at the bottom of my journal yesterday and as I read it after journaling about my current state of "overwhelm" I thought to myself..."How can God be a refuge if I don't spend some SERIOUS quality time with Him?" As I pondered this concept and read and journaled away my morning, an hour and a half passed quickly as I took refuge in my Lord. God was good. God is good. Finally I had to leave for church.
Much to my non-surprise, the music and content of the sermon spoke to me in the very areas addressed in my journaling earlier that morning. Tears filled my eyes as I sang one of the last songs of the morning, "Made Me Glad" by Hillsong. The chorus says:
You are my shield
My strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
A very present help in time of need.
Psalm 46:1 says that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." I spent time in God's shelter yesterday, away from my concerns and cares. What a wonderful time it was. I'm glad that I let Him be my refuge. I truly need nothing else in this life, I just wish I didn't have to be reminded of that fact from time to time!
Have you taken the time to crawl up into the lap of God and allow Him to be your shield, strength and strong tower? When was the last time you spent some time with God without being concerned about rushing on to your next thing in the day, without a time constraint? It had been awhile for me. Try to carve out some lengthy time with God this week when you don't have to rush through your devotional time. Let Him really be your refuge. You'll be glad you did.