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Refuge and Strength

by Brian Culbertson — January 7, 2016

ALL OF US

We’re all messed up much more than we think, and yet God is so much more of a refuge than we could ever imagine. We believe that when the church functions more like a recovery group than a business we are in a better position to reach the broken, and be a safe place for recovery and healing. Healing happens at a slow pace, and only through grace, mercy, and love.

Imagine a church where everyone is safe. Everyone is free to express their struggles, trials, doubts. Everyone is free to be honest with one another. A place where transparency is the filter that permeates the entire culture of the community. Where one sin isn’t considered greater than another. Where we all recognize that we’re messed up and broken, and need another. Where we can tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. A place where we can bring our whole selves through the door, and not leave behind our hearts, our minds, our doubts, and our questions. A place where we don’t have to wear a mask. We might just create a REFUGE.

Being this open and honest with one another is both comforting and terrifying at the same time. Then again, putting your faith in an unseen God is also comforting and terrifying at the same time too, and I think that’s exactly what God intended, so that we would draw close to Him and His Church as our refuge.

Scripture is full of verses that refer to God as our refuge, and so wanted to share a few this morning …

Psalm 91:1-2; Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

Ruth 2:12; May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.

2 Samuel 22:3; My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.

Psalm 7:1; O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me …

Psalm 16:1; Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.

Psalm 34:8; Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Psalm 46:1–3;God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!

Psalm 118:8–9; It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

Proverbs 30:5; Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Hebrews 6:18–19; So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.