We can still turn to God and find refuge

As I am preparing this Sunday’s sermon, I am researching Psalm 46, and the Psalms in general. One thing I did not know is how frequently the word “refuge” appears in the Psalms. Out of more than 40 uses of the word “refuge” in the Hebrew Scriptures (aka The Old Testament), 35 are in the Psalms. That’s a high enough concentration to make the idea of “refuge” stand out.

And in the Psalms, the word “refuge” is applied to God in every instance but one, where it is used to describe the rocky shelter badgers seek. So, God as “refuge” presents God as the One in whom we can find shelter. But shelter from what?

It is interesting that the Psalms do not present God as refuge or shelter from the hard things in life — war, disease, hunger, betrayal, death. The Psalms do not commend God as escape…but as refuge. If you read Psalm 88, you will hear the voice of one for whom there seems not to be refuge, or any kind of relief, from life’s trials and suffering. So, how does the idea of refuge work in the Psalms in general, and in Psalm 46 in particular?

I like what one commentator says: the refuge God provides is not escape, nor is it an instant fix, nor is it as if God builds a massive fortress to protect one from life’s trials. Rather, it is akin to a solid tree trunk or a single boulder, behind which one can find just enough safety from incoming arrows or a tumbling rockslide. One will not be transported to Paradise for calling out to God as refuge. But one will be sheltered.

This seems important to remember during this week prior to the presidential election. While “our” side may not prevail — and by this I am addressing everyone, whichever candidate they vote for — whatever outcomes feel scary to us, or actually result in policies that harm us, all is not lost. We can still turn to God and find refuge. We can still live our lives, work for what seems right to us, and trust that God is here to ensure that the ministry of Christ Jesus, a ministry of love, peace, justice, healing, and reconciliation, is neither slowed nor stymied by the machinations of governments or the dictates of their leaders.

In Christ,

Lee