He Is My Refuge

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me; My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2 AMP

This Psalm, verse one says: “I love you, O LORD, my strength” and then the Psalmist goes on to expound the emotions and effect of this truth in his heart. We can read over this and think, yes, I agree, this is true, but do we stop and investigate the richness here?

Needy as I am for the Lord’s rescue often, I decided to spend some time here defining these words.

Rock: Solid foundation, a large mass of stone forming a cliff

Fortress: a large permanent fortification

Rescue: freed from confinement or danger of evil. To make safe

Strength: the quality or state of being strong, giving capacity for exertion or endurance

Shield: defensive cover or barrier to protect

Horn: emblem of power, dominion, glory (ie: as on the Temple Altar)

Trust: confidence, giving ability to lean and rely on

Refuge: a shelter or protection from danger or distress, an asylum

Oh, so rich and powerful! My God desires to be all of these very personal things to me. I was put to the test in a mundane daily occurrence. I was in a quilting class this week (I’m very much a beginner) and had messed up my piece, having to seam-rip and start over. Also, my sewing machine thread was all bunched up and needed to be re-threaded. Then I couldn’t even thread my machine.

I was getting behind. I was so frustrated and anxious I couldn’t think. I threw up a quick prayer. “Lord, help me thread this needle!” and just the thought of His powerful name rescued me and gave me peace. The awareness of His evident presence caused my mind to think straight, and my hands to quit shaking to be able to thread the needle.

I sometimes think, should I bother the God who created the universe to help me with such a seemingly trivial thing like threading a needle? Yet, in His calm presence and power of His Name, He used this situation to teach me something so personal, and I believe His presence filled the atmosphere so that those around me would notice and sense the calm. He stills the storm in us by reminding us that He is our rock and fortress. “The wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).

Reading the Word and then understanding its depth and personal intent is so rich and valuable to each one of us. He wants to be our refuge and fortress in every situation we face in everyday life. May we not hesitate to call on His Name to rescue when frustrations arise. I don’t want to miss out on seeing His love and glory in action. His presence in our mundane occurrences can result in seeing mountains removed when we pay attention.

Dear Lord, thank You for loving and caring so much, and then using it for Your glory!