Tag: refuge

When Risk Is a Refuge

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“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”   Nahum 1:7 NIV

Every time you step out in faith in Jesus, it is a risk.

Being faithful to Jesus may look like being a failure to the world.

He may ask you to leave what you know, sacrifice whatever is needed, and embrace a temporary difficulty for the hope of a future promise.

Know that even though the risk seems great, a life lived in faith in the Son of God means that every cross He asks you to bear leads to a resurrection to a new kind of life you have never lived before.

This is the prayer I am whispering over you today, “Jesus, take care of my friends as they step out in faith. Thank you that they are trusting you as they face risk. Reward them with courage and vision and do what only You can do – the impossible in them and through them. In Your Name, Amen”

The Place of Refuge

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“You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, Say this:‘GOD, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!’ That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards.

His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm.”

Psalm 91:1-5 MSG

I want to remind you today that you have a place of refuge.

You have a fortress of strength to love from. 

You have a tower of trust to give from.

Your refuge, your strength and your tower is Jesus Christ Himself.

No matter what you are going through today, Jesus opens His arms to you and invites you to come to Him. He stands beside you and invites you to rest in His love.

When the sun of adversity beats down, rest in Shaddai’s shadow. Tuck yourself into His side and remind yourself whose you are. When fear screams the loudest, run into His arms.

Fear nothing. 

Hide in Him. 

He is your place of refuge and rest.

A Quiet Secure Place

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“I’m asking GOD for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long.

I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet.

That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.”

Psalm 27:4-5 MSG

King David’s prayer was to live WITH God every day. 

To enjoy Him, learn from Him and have a safe place to escape to when the world goes nuts.

He lived in a palace but longed to live in the temple with God.

The one thing David longed for, Jesus made a possibility. 

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, you are able to experience this kind of relationship with God every day, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Are you stressed and overwhelmed today? 

Escape to the presence of God within you and let the beauty of the Holy Spirit fill your soul with peace that is untouched by the world and all it’s pressures.

A Safe Place to Hide

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Tuesday

Sometimes you just need a place to hide for a while.

Something happens and you feel vulnerable and wounded.

You want to crawl back under the covers and not face the world.

There is a place to hide in for a while that is a healing place.

A safe place.

And that place is God, Himself.

“For you are my hiding place;

you protect me from trouble.

You surround me with songs of victory.”

Psalm 32:7 NLT

He is a place of refuge where gentle songs of victory, thanksgiving, and praise echo all around you.

Today, Jesus invites you into the Presence of God and says to you, “Hide here– I Am the refuge in your storm”.

Instead of crawling back in bed, crawl under God’s covering of unconditional love in Christ Jesus.

Let Him embrace you and hold you today.

Allow His love to heal your soul and listen as He surrounds you with songs of triumph.

The storm will not win – He will.

 

 

 

God Is.

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Strength

God IS with you.

He is the creator of the universe and He is with you.

Present tense.

He does not reside in the past, however wonderful or horrible yours was.

He does not jump ahead to the future unknowables and fear-filled wonderings.

He is here with you.

Now.

Right where you are.

The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah

Psalm 46:11 NKJV

The “Selah” at the end of the Psalm is a word that means “pause and think about it”.

Take this moment, this one right here,  to pause whatever you are in the middle of and think about the reality that God IS with you. It is a gift, a miracle and a privilege to be experienced every day.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Philippians 4:4 NIV

May your day be filled with Selah, the awe, and wonder that God is with you and the desire to have a conversation with Him all day long.

Living in the Shadow of His Love

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“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.””

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭91:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It can be exhausting to find rest.

If you look to a person to provide rest, a safe place to hide, a security in an insecure world – they will fail you because they are fallible human beings. At their best, they are as broken as you are and looking to you to find rest.

If you look to a job or career as a place of safety, security, or fulfillment you may have seasons of it but economies change, companies change and you change. They are at best a temporary place of financial security.

Even if you look to the church to be a place of rest, it can fail you because the church is made of people. The Word says to find rest in God, not the church. You go to church to learn, grow, give, serve, bless, be blessed and so on.

Go to Jesus for your salvation, your refuge, your direction, strength, peace, and abundant life.

The church is only there to point you to Jesus.

The only true place of refuge, security, peace and rest is in the shadow of the Almighty God. What does that mean? It means that God wants you to stick close to Him, so close He can put His arm around you. So close, the shadow of His unending grace covers you.

Jesus came to clear the way for you to experience your relationship with God like this.

He is your refuge.
He is your fortress.
He is your Father and you can trust Him.

He is your place of rest, not just when everything is going good but when everything is falling apart.

He is your refuge when you are tired of fighting the battle.

He is your fortress when the battle is too much to take.

My friend, whatever today brings – may you dwell in the shelter of the Most High God and stick so close that you live in the shadow of His love. 

You Are Blessed

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The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Numbers‬ ‭6‬:‭24-26‬ NIV

Blessed.
Your greatest blessings are often found in the midst of your greatest struggles.

Kept.
Because God is holding onto you.

Grace.
Not deserved or earned but lavished on you nonetheless.

Peace.
The peace that passes understanding and does not depend on outside circumstances.

The peace that comes from taking refuge in God’s embrace and letting Him fight for you.

May your eyes be opened to the blessings you have, to the security of belonging to God, to the truth of His grace upon you and the filling of His peace within you.

Covered

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Today I want to remind you that you have a place of refuge in Christ. A fortress of strength to love from. A tower of trust to give from.

Live from the truth of who Jesus is and what he has done for you on the cross.

You are restored and redeemed.

You are accepted and forgiven.

You are cherished and loved.

When the strong sun of adversity beats down, rest in Shaddai’s shadow. Tuck yourself into His side and remind yourself whose you are.

“You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, Say this: ‘GOD, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!’ That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards.

His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭91:1-5 MSG‬‬

When fear screams the loudest, run to the refuge of the cross. Jesus died for you so that you could have this: an unhindered relationship with your Father in heaven who has strong arms and strong love.

Hide in Him.

Fear nothing.

He’s got you covered.

So Close

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Psalm-Free-Printable-Sincerely-Sara-D

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.””

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭91:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It can be exhausting to find rest.

If you look to a person to provide rest, a safe place to hide, a security in an insecure world – they will fail you because they are fallible human beings. At their best, they are as broken as you are and looking to you to find rest.

If you look to a job or career as a place of safety, security, or fulfillment you may have seasons of it but economies change, companies change and you change. They are at best a temporary place of financial security.

Even if you look to the church to be a place of rest, it can fail you because the church is made of people. The Word says to find rest in God, not the church. You go to church to learn, grow, give, serve, bless, be blessed and so on.

Go to Jesus for your salvation, your refuge, your direction, strength, peace and abundant life.

The church is only there to point you to Jesus.

The only true place of refuge, security, peace and rest is in the shadow of the Almighty God. What does that mean? It means that you stick close to God’s side. So close, in fact, you walk in His shadow.

Jesus came to show you how to live so close to the Father that you bask in the shadow of the Almighty. Then He made it possible to live this way by going to the cross.

Jesus cleared the way so you can walk this close with God.

He is your refuge.
He is your fortress.
He is your Father and you can trust Him.

He is your place of rest, not just when everything is going good but when everything is falling apart.

He is your refuge when you are tired of fighting the battle.

He is your fortress when the battle is too much to take.

My friend, whatever today brings – may you dwell in the shelter of the Most High God and stick so close that you live in the shadow of His love. 

Hide Here

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Sometimes you just need a place to hide for awhile. Something happens and you feel vulnerable and wounded. You want to crawl back under the covers and not face your world.

Only life doesn’t work that way. You still have things to do, people to take care of …life demands doing, especially when trouble surrounds.

“For you are my hiding place;

you protect me from trouble.

You surround me with songs of victory.”

Psalm 32:7 NLT

There is a place to hide in for a while that is a healing place. A safe place. A place of refuge where gentle songs of victory, thanksgiving, and praise echo all around you.

That place is God himself. He invites you into Himself and says, “Hide here– let Me be your refuge in the storm”.

Instead of crawling back in bed, crawl under God’s covering and listen to the songs of victory He sings over you