"There Is A Place Of Refuge"

Bible scholars believe that David wrote the 57th Psalm while fleeing from King Saul, who had hatred in his heart for the former shepherd boy (1 Samuel 19:8-15). David ducked into a cave and barely escaped his pursuer (1 Samuel 22:1). He was safe temporarily, but the threat was still there.

We’ve all been there. Maybe not in a cave, but pursued by something that strikes fear into our hearts. Perhaps it is the deep sorrow that follows the death of someone we love. Maybe it’s the fear of an unknown future. Or it could be an oppressive physical illness that won’t go away.

In such circumstances, God does not always remove the difficulty, but He is present to help us (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). We wish that He would swoop in and whisk us to safety — just as David may have wished for a quick end to Saul’s pursuit.

We plead with God to stop the pain and make the road to tomorrow smooth and straight. We beg Him to eliminate our struggle. But the difficulty remains.

It is then that we have to take refuge in the Lord as David did. While hiding in that cave, he said, “In the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by” (Psalm 57:1).

Dear reader, are we in the midst of trouble? Let’s take refuge in our heavenly Father (Psalm 62:8).

"There is a place of refuge For every troubled soul
Where tempests beat no longer, Where billows cease to roll;
A calm and quiet haven, A harbor safe and blest,
Where storm-tossed barques may anchor, Where weary hearts may rest. Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee" (see video) —G.C. Stebbins

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets