The Safest Place
A compilation
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What does the word refuge make you think of? Maybe an imposing building with locks on the doors, maybe a thick-walled fortress, or perhaps something as simple as a canopy to keep you dry in a rainstorm. Whatever picture comes to mind, it can be agreed that a refuge is a safe place. When the Bible describes God as our refuge, it is saying that God is our safe place when we need protection from something.
Knowing God as our refuge enables us to trust Him more freely. We need not fear situations or people who threaten our well-being, whether in a physical or spiritual sense. There is no situation we will ever face that is out of God’s control, so the best place to be, always, is right with Him. “The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”1
A question that arises is “how do I make God my refuge?” It’s easy to picture a physical refuge protecting us from some danger, but how can we make God—whom we can’t see—our refuge?
David is a great example of someone who knew God as his refuge. At different points in his life, David was on the run from people who literally wanted to kill him, but he always found safety in God. “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”2 An easy way to make God our refuge is to simply ask Him to be. David said, “Pour out your hearts to him.” That’s what David did all the time. He poured out his heart to God about what was going on in his life and asked God to intervene on his behalf. When we turn to God for help or protection, we begin to know Him as our refuge. …
God is our refuge. However, that does not mean He will never lead us into difficult or dangerous situations. Jesus led the disciples into a boat, knowing full well that a violent storm was brewing; the disciples were terrified, but Jesus, their refuge, calmed the storm.3 When we are in God’s will, we can face even the most dangerous situations with confidence, because God is with us.
Countless times, God led the Israelites into battles against armies much more powerful than they, yet when they trusted God and obeyed Him, they always came out victorious (see Joshua chapters 6 and 8 for some examples). Jesus told us, “In me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”4
No matter what our circumstance, the safest place to be is always in the center of God’s will. He promises to be our refuge: “‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”5—From gotquestions.org6
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Our heavenly Father offers us security and peace. We can trust in His divine care and protection, but we also need to give Him our cooperation. We do that by staying close to Him—by loving Him and doing our best to live by the principles He’s laid out in His Word—and by taking the necessary practical precautions. When we put our faith in Jesus, we can count on Him to keep us or deliver us from harm.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”7 Greater is He who is in us than anything this world can throw at us.8 His love and the Holy Spirit can fill us with power and a sound mind.9 We are surrounded and sheltered by God and His angelic forces.10 We can trust God to fulfill His promises, and through faith in them we can have peace of mind, regardless of the circumstances around us. We live in dangerous times, but as we do our part, we can count on His unfailing counsel, forewarning, protection, and care. We are blessed!—Maria Fontaine
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The safest place in the world for you is close to God and where He wants you to be. No matter where that is or who is against you, He will keep you. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”11
God has promised to protect His own, but has anything bad ever happened to you since you’ve accepted Him into your heart and life? Has the Lord ever let you suffer in some way through an accident, affliction, or other trouble?
Look at what happened to Job!12 Were all the calamities that befell him and his family his fault? Was God punishing him for his sins? No. All of these things happened because the devil asked God if he could test and tempt Job to see if he could break Job and make him lose his faith. The Lord let the devil take away all Job’s wealth, then his family, and finally his health. It was all a test, perpetrated by the devil but allowed by the Lord in order to show that Job would continue to love and honor Him in spite of it all. And when Job passed the test, God blessed him with twice as much as he had lost.13
Don’t worry; God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear.14 He doesn’t let the devil give us more than we can take, but He does sometimes let the devil test us to see if we’ll depend on Him and His promises in the Word even in difficult circumstances.
All through the Bible the Lord miraculously empowered and protected those who turned to Him for help. And the same miracles of power and protection that occurred back in Bible times can happen today. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!”15 If Jesus could do those miracles in His day, then He can still do them today. God is still the God of miracles, and what He’s done before, He can do again.
Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth!”16 That’s a lot of power! And if you’ve accepted Jesus into your life and heart, you have access to that power as well. God has not only promised all this power and protection, but He’s promised it for right now and for you, if you believe!—David Brandt Berg
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Many are worried about the future these days—and it’s no wonder. The way things are going, many have reason to fear what will happen to them, their family, their city, their country, their world. Sometimes you might wish you could find a hideaway, nail the windows and doors closed, and keep the world out.
It doesn’t do any good to pretend the problems aren’t there, but you don’t have to be afraid, because I’m looking out for you. When fears overwhelm you, hide away in Me. When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, call on Me for help, and then rest assured that I will be there to protect you. When you can’t watch over your loved ones, commit them to My care. When a national or international crisis erupts, I will provide a safe haven in My peace for you and yours.
And after this life, a better life awaits on the other side. Heaven is where all is made right. So you see, although there’s plenty you could worry about, you don’t have to worry about a thing. I’m taking care of you!—Jesus, speaking in prophecy
Published on Anchor March 2020. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by John Listen.
1 Proverbs 18:10.
2 Psalm 62:7–8.
3 Matthew 8:23–27.
4 John 16:33.
5 Hebrews 13:5–6.
7 Psalm 46:1.
8 1 John 4:4.
9 2 Timothy 1:7.
10 Psalm 34:7; 91:11.
11 Proverbs 18:10.
12 See Job 1:6–19.
13 See Job 42:10–16.
14 1 Corinthians 10:13.
15 Hebrews 13:8.
16 Matthew 28:18.
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