Fortress for the Weak

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:8 (NLT)

Perhaps you and I have a shared memory. No, it’s not that we did it together. But we did the same thing at the same point in life. I remember it vividly. When I was a kid, at night, the walls seemed creepier than normal. As I lay in my bed, I was sure I could hear something moving around in my closet or under my bed. My mind began to race with ideas of what kind of monster, or monsters, could be lurking in the darkness. The good thing was, I knew what to do in order to be safe. I dove underneath my blankets and made sure there were no open areas from which a hand, finger, or tentacle could infiltrate. I knew that if I stayed secure under my blankets, the creepy things in the dark couldn’t get to me. I had found my refuge.

Now, of course, as we get little older, something like a blanket fort of refuge seem not to make any sense whatsoever. Like a blanket has some sort of magical force-field properties that can’t be penetrated. Or, that if I was under it, I was somehow invisible to the things in the world which wanted to hurt me. Perhaps we were a little naïve about such things.

However, as adults, we do the same thing. We seek refuge in things which won’t actually protect us. We seek out pleasure, drugs, drinking, self-harm, or over-eating to try and cope with the evil which pounds on us day after day. Here’s the problem: They aren’t a refuge. They’re a trap which Satan pushes us towards so we don’t find the one, true refuge.

King David knew a thing or two about persecution. His buddy, King Saul went all crazy on him and tried to kill him on several occasions; even sending his army to seek and destroy. So, how did David survive? He knew who his refuge was. As David writes in our verse today, “O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”

You see, our refuge isn’t a thing, it’s a being. God is our protector. He’s not weak and flimsy like a blanket. The Bible also calls Him a Fortress for the Weak. In other words, when we are in Him, though the evil surrounds us and the sounds of battle roar, He is our protector.

Today, and every day, no matter what Satan hurls at you, make sure you stay safe in the refuge of Christ.

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