Running to the Refuge {Day 8}: Refuge of Faithfulness

This is day 8 in a month-long series.  Catch up on previous posts here.

We come today to a final reflection on what kind of refuge God is.  He is the best, eternal, loving, saving, strong, and delivering refuge.  In addition to all that, He is a faithful refuge.  We can know this by looking at His track record.  When God makes a promise, He keeps it.  When God gives a command, it is the best for His people.

You are my refuge and shield;

I have put my hope in your word.

Psalm 119:114

Psalm 119 is one hundred and seventy-six verses dedicated to the praise of God's Word, all written long before the promised Messiah arrived.  There is power in the Word of God.  God creates by His Word.  God also makes things new by His Word.  Given His history with Israel, who witnessed plagues, were rescued from Egypt, and led and fed through the desert, this Psalmist knew the power of God's Word and His faithfulness to His people.  And there is the flip side, if God promised judgment for misbehavior, that came too.  The Psalmist could hope in God's Word because He knew its truth and the faithfulness of God to fulfill it.

Knowing God's Word and walking in His way is a refuge because God is a faithful guide for His children.  He made us and knows the right ways we are meant to live in relationship to Him and other people.  When we stray from meditating on His Word and from letting truth sink deep into our hearts, we wander into territory that makes us doubt God's infinite wisdom and faithfulness.

The world offers myriad options and methods for how to live, none of which center on the Word of God.  We are foolish to choose them over the faithful guidance that God gives in His Word.  Sometimes it can feel like living within God's boundaries of moral behavior, forgiving others, and putting off the old and on the new, is holding us back.  The truth is, it is a place of refuge.

The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous

but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

Proverbs 10:29

By teaching His people how to live in righteousness, God sets us free.  Taking refuge within God's boundaries saves us from pain, sorrow, and punishment, and provides us with peace, joy, hope, and life!  Like a loving and faithful parent, God doesn't leave us to flounder around and hope we'll turn out okay.  Nope.  He gives us parameters, sets up expectations, shares His wisdom with us, corrects and rebukes us as needed, and forgives and restores when we stray.

God is a refuge of faithfulness, faithful to His Word and faithful to His people.  He does not change.  He does not play favorites.  He is who He says He is and He does what He says He'll do.

Every word of God is flawless,

he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

Proverbs 30:5

Running Orders:

• Are you in the habit of reading God's Word?  This weekend, make a plan to get into that habit!  If you need some ideas, check out my Deepen Your Roots page or consider (ladies) joining in an online Bible study like this two-week study on the Source of Gratitude with Love God Greatly that begins on Monday (all materials provided).  Contact me if you want more guidance or encouragement regarding establishing a devotional life.
• Read and meditate on Psalm 91:1-4.  Make a list of ways in your personal history that God has been a faithful refuge to you and give Him thanks.

Enjoy your weekend!  I'll catch you on Monday.

Heather