Refuge

Refuge: a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger or trouble

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear through the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved int the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.  Selah

Psalms 46:1-3 ESV

            When I think of the term refuge, I often think of a place that is safe and that we are protected from the world and all of its flaming arrows.  A refuge is a place where things could be made right, but that is just a small portion of it.  A refuge is a place where we can take stock what is going on, take inventory of what we have, and even bandage our wounds.  It is a place where we can get refueled, refreshed and healed up so we can get sent back out and reengage.  A refuge gives a sense of normalcy and comfort, because if we continuously live on the edge pushing ourselves, we will end up burning out and or crashing really hard.  For some, a refuge is there home, where they can lock the door and invite who they want into their sanctuary.  For athletes, the locker room is a refuge because they do not have to deal with the media, or fickle fans, who love them one minute and despise them the next.  To be honest, we like our places of refuge because it’s a chance to build healthy boundaries (and maybe even build unhealthy walls) and for us to be ourselves and that we do not have to pretend to be something we are or are not and we can take off the makeup and let our hair down.  It is even a place where we can check out and forget about the world.

            My first observation is that we tend to either build or run to some unhealthy refuges.  We are thinking that we are going to a place to rest and refuel so that we can reengage, but in all reality we are just checking out and even creating a bigger problem.  How often does our refuge come in the form of addiction?  I am not saying we can not forget about the worlds problems for a night and go out for a movie or be with friends, but when we are focused on avoiding the problem through different avenues, when does this addiction become a pacifier?  After work, how many of us go to places to overeat, have a few to many drinks, watch to much tv.  There are many ways we tend to check out in or at our “refuge” and we are getting nothing done.  So here is an early question, does our refuge refuel and recharge us, or does it drain or make the issues worse?

            My second observation is that taking refuge is a good thing at times.  The word refuge comes from a French word meaning “to flee” and it has a connotation that we are fleeing an unsafe situation or person.  The bloody civil war in Syria has been documented in the news cycle over the last several years.  Instead of sticking around for the bombings and bloodshed, the Syrian people have sought refuge and political asylum in neighboring countries and in safer areas.  Seeking refuge is knowing when to stick around in situations or around particular people, and it is also knowing when to pull the plug and get out for our own health, whether mental or physical.  Seeking refuge is often taking stock of the situation and looking at it for what it is and not blowing things out of proportion.  God does not call us to be stupid, and there are many times where fleeing the situation and cutting bait is not only a good thing, but it is what is required.

            My third observation is that we do not have to fear and still be scared beyond our britches.  I think there are times where we walk through situations that are scary, whether it is changing jobs, going through a scary medical diagnosis, making changes in personal relationships, they all can be scary things  It is because sometimes the unknown is hard, or our situation is even harder, but we still do not have to fear.  I think of not fearing is a trust thing and that we can and do trust God to get us through what ever it is. Last fall, I was having some anemia issues and one of the test I had was a bone marrow biopsy.  All was good until the day before I was to go to the oncologist to the results and I got nervous.  Could it be cancer, could it be one of those weird diseases that only one in a million people have.  I was a nervous wreck and God called me to trust Him in that situation and that He was with me no matter what.  Thankfully, I did not have cancer or some weird disease, which is a relief, but God still calls me and the rest of us to trust Him not matter the situation.

            My fourth observation is this, during storms and difficulties, where we run to and what we run to reveals who we trust.  During difficult times, do we do the American thing and pull ourselves up by our boot straps and keep moving on.  It is a hell or high water kind of mentality of I am either going to kill it or its going to kill me.  There is no middle ground or another way on this.  In essence it is for the lack of better terms kicking ass and taking names and it usually never ends well for anybody.  Our second option is doing nothing and checking out.  We end up being beaten up more then a rented mule and our ego, relationships and our over all health  goes down hill.  Our third option is this, its to trust God.  I know this is hard, especially when things are blowing up, but it is the only way we make it out.  This does not mean we have no responsibility and we sit back and do nothing.  It is allowing God to fight lead the charge and being obedient to what He has called us to do.  It still means we are going to do difficult things and say things that are unpopular, but God is always will be ahead of us, right beside us and following up behind us.  We are not going to be the same people when we come through whatever situation we are in, and when we do not fear, our faith is deepened and our character is developed.  When God is our refuge, it is more that God protecting the flaming arrows from us, and smiting all of our enemies, but it is allowing God to be the Lord of our lives, no matter the situation. 

            Here is my final thought on God being our refuge.  God is always there protecting and leading us.  He will never abandoned us nor forsake us, but here is the main point.  There are times where we need to go and seek refuge so that we can refuel, recharge and to heal up, but we are also called to leave the fortress again.  When we our in the fortress to long, we become spiritually lazy and fat and not fit for battle.  This could lead to spiritual sepsis, which is really dangerous and harmful for not only ourselves, but to others also. So here are some questions for you to ponder:

When life starts to go sideways, who or what do you turn to?

Would you rather kick peoples ass, avoid all confrontation, or trust God and do His commands?

Forsaken

Forsaken- abandoned or deserted.

How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice!  Righteousness lodged in her, but now murders.  Your silver has become dross, your best wine mixed with water.  Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.

Isaiah 1:21-24 ESV

  The word forsaken has a connotation or a feeling that one has been abandoned, and left alone to die.  These feelings usually come when are backs are against the wall and that we are about to be torn to shreds by our enemies or life in general.  Neither God or our friends and family are nowhere to be found have fled the scene.  As much as forsaken can have this connotation and as much as it is true, lets look at it from a different view.  Forsaken can also mean that we have gone all Darth Vader and ventured over to the dark side.  We have forgotten everything that is good and holy and have become vindictive and following a path of destruction and self righteousness.  Sometimes forsaking is making a choice of burning everything to the ground instead of building up and character development.

    My first observation about the idea of forsaken is that in order to walk away from something, we have to be apart of it.  It is hard to walk away or to forget about a relationship that we never really had to begin with.  Forsaken means that there was something great that was invested and everything was going well.  There was solid relationship that went both ways and there was plenty of give and take.  In our Scripture passage, the prophet Isaiah tells us that the city of Jerusalem was a faithful city and the people of the city had a relationship with God and obeyed His command.  In essence, they were all good with God and with their fellow man.  When we forsake something, we are taking the healthy relationships we have and we are throwing them out the window.  We can not forsake or kick to the curb what we are not a part or in a good relationship with. 

    My second observation about forsaking is that it often forgets about character development and focuses compromise.  Are we willing to compromise what is right for what is easy.  People often take the shortest or quickest way to complete their task.  It could be taking the shortest travel route to get to our vacation destination, or the new diet fad to drop the ten pounds for the up coming event, or even looking at questionable online content to meet some sort of need or fettish.  Why put in the hard work when we can skip a few steps to get to our desired goal or outcome. As Isaiah puts it, why are we watering down the good wine for something that is substandard and crap?  Is it so we can feel better about ourselves, or is it a look at me moment and getting people to notice what we have?  When we do this, our lives will often come crashing down. In essence, we become a Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme. He tried to get rich quick and ended up ruining people financially and he ended up a convicted felon.

   My third observation is that forsaking is cuing up the Casting Crowns song because it is Slow Fade.  Most people don’t wake up one morning and say screw you to God, the significant people in our lives, or life in general. It often builds up over time of not checking our thoughts, attitudes and actions.  We may not be able control what happens to us, but we can always control what our response is going to be.  If we do not properly check those thoughts, attitudes and actions, they will often take us down paths that lead us to unhealthy relationships, thoughts, actions and lifestyles.  Missing a workout or meal prep isn't going to lead to heart disease or diabetes but when those actions are forgotten about how often do those extra ten pounds just sneak up on us.  its funny how a slow fade and distractions go hand in hand.  As Casting Crowns put it, it is that second glance that often gets us into trouble and where things start to take hold and change our perspective.

   My final observation is that when we forsake God and we start to live for ourselves, we essentially become a whore to our own desires and views on life. We forget everything that we have with God and we farm ourselves out to the highest bidder, whether it is our own desires or the desires of others.  These desires are usually ones of excess and justice based on our own standards.  We could care less about others or God, unless our needs our being met and we are not afraid to run people over and even ruin them to get what we want.  When we forsake God and others, they become no more than pawns in our lives to get what we want and when we are done with them, we discard them to the side of the road and leave them there.

So here are some questions to ponder:

    What are those attitudes, actions and thoughts that need to be     

        Checked in and controlled?

    Are we a whore to and for our own desires?

    Are there things that we need to walk away from to grow closer to

       God? 

    Do we care for Gods brand of justice or ours and what is the

       Difference?