Where you place your trust becomes your refuge. But not every refuge is longstanding.
Transcript
Today, we are going to take a “Posture of Peace” by choosing the right refuge.
Posture is a short, audible fist bump to remind you, God is with you in everything. Together, we’re going to be emboldened to take a daily Posture of perfect peace.
Okay, I’m going to be reading several scriptures today, starting in Psalm 62:8, it says this about the Lord, it says “trust in Him at all times, pour out your hearts to Him for God is our refuge”. And then in Psalm 91:2, it says, I will say of the Lord. Some translations say, “I will say to the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” And then in Psalm 118:8-9, it says “it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes”.
Now, notice the strong connection of trust and refuge. Refuge being your safe place, the place you go to seek safety and protection. And Psalm 118 really highlights the truth that where we place our trust, that becomes our refuge. That becomes the place where we seek our safety and our protection and our defense. And the word here in the Hebrew for take refuge. I’m not gonna even try to pronounce it in the Hebrew, but that word for take refuge means “trust”. And it’s used in the following verses, listen to this. Nahum 1:7. It says “the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble. And He knows those who trust in Him or who take refuge in Him”. And then in 2 Samuel 22:3, it says, the Lord, I’m sorry. “The God of my strength, in whom I will trust or in whom I will take refuge in, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior, you save me from violence”.
The point is that every single one of us has a refuge because all of us are trusting in something or someone to be our safety, to be our protection and to be our defense, especially in chaotic times, in times of trouble. And you know, some people take refuge in addictions, some people will take refuge in their reputations, some take refuge in their politicians, some take refuge in their own knowledge and intelligence. You know, some have taken refuge or placed their trust in their own natural abilities or in their finances or in the identity or the titles or the platform or possessions that the world has given them. But not every refuge is longstanding. Not every refuge can withstand the storms of life or withstand the battles that we all will face in this life.
But here’s the beautiful, good news, you get a choice. You get to decide where you will seek your refuge, where you will place your trust. No one does that for you, you decide. And the beautiful part about it all is that you have access to the refuge who will never fail, who can withstand every storm, every battle. It’s a refuge who understands and knows and has the victory. You get to choose so choose wisely. Proverbs 35 says “every word of God proves true. He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him”.
The promise of perfect peace is found in Isaiah 26:3, In Hebrew. It is shalom, shalom, meaning complete wholeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. This is who you are in Jesus, because of Jesus. You are a living testimony of Jesus’s ultimate win with every step you take today you’re putting Jesus’s victory on display and satan’s defeat on replay.