Psalm 91:1 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”
Many years ago, I was hunting on US Military property, and I observed a very strange thing. Portions of the area were fenced in and designated and well-marked as No Hunting areas. There was not a deer to be found in the designated hunting area, but you could see them casually grazing in the No Hunting areas. It appears that, over the years, those creatures had learned where their “refuge” was, and they took full advantage of it. A “refuge” is a place where harm cannot reach you, where the adversaries cannot come near you. It is a place where peace and contentment are surely found. In this place we learn that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1). Over and over, the Lord tells us that He is in us (John 14:17,20; 15:4; Romans 8:9; I Corinthains 3:16; …), and because He is in us, our joy is full, even in the most troubled times and situations. To illustrate, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) were in a horrific situation, they were about to be thrown into “a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:15). But, they were safe within the “refuge”, for they told king Nebuchadnezzar “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)! They were indeed thrown into the “burning fiery furnace”, but they were still at peace within the “refuge”, for there was a fourth Man in the “furnace” with them (Daniel 3:25)! Those listed in Hebrews Eleven faced dreadful situations, but from their position in the “refuge” they acted upon their God-given “faith” and found contentment and joy in the Lord, even as the tribulations raged all around them. Physical strength, power, wealth, things, notoriety, etc. are severely limited in what they can do to help us when we come face to face with our “fiery furnace” of trouble, but our “Refuge”, Whose Spirit dwells within us, is always there to give us peace, even in the very midst of the storms in this present life. So, let us spend our time, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith …” (Hebrews 12:2) and “consider him [Fix Our Minds Upon Him] that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3).