Day: August 4, 2021

“My salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior” 2 Samuel 22:3

David had sought refuge in the mountains countless times while being hunted by King Saul. He knew both the discomfort of being exposed and vulnerable, and the peace of being safely tucked away in a strong fortress. Now David, as an old man remembers the many times God came to his rescue, and he writes a hymn of praise to God. Whether sitting in a cave or a palace, David calls God his salvation, his tower, his refuge.

We need a refuge as well. Most of us will not be hunted by those who want to kill us or probably won’t even find ourselves in life-threatening situations, but what about the battles we face against our own desires? Do we have a safe place to go when we realize that there are things that darken our day both of our own making or the making of others? Do we try to face the daily enemies on our own, or do we turn to God for strength and protection.

David was a very complicated man. When he sought refuge in God, God cared for him. When he tried to do things on his own, God left him on his own. That will happen to us. When David stood before the giant Goliath he stood without any worldly armor. Goliath wore the greatest armor the world had to offer (the biggest as well); yet, David faced him confidently, saying: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the Name of the Lord of hosts the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou have defied.” David with the armor of God was safe, and Goliath, in his worldly armor, was not. David did not doubt he was in a battle because he stood on a battlefield. What David forgot later on was what we have to remember every day. The world is a battlefield.

When David stood on his rooftop and saw Bathsheba, I am sure he felt that he was not facing an enemy like Goliath. But he was. He did not think of the rooftops as battlefields. But they were. He knew that Goliath was out to destroy him, so David prepared himself. He donned the armor of the Lord and sought strength from His presence. He needed to armor up when he saw Bathsheba as well, but he did not. He did not seek refuge in the Lord, but in his own lusts. In 2 Samuel 11 we see David’s weakness, “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.” (2 Samuel 11:2-3) In the case of Goliath David recognized the battle he was in, but he refused to see the battle with his own lusts, so he went into the battle alone.

When temptations surround us and threaten our life of peace, we need a place of refuge where we can feel the presence God’s strength. But, unfortunately, sometimes we, too, try face our battles on our own. We don’t go to God for our armor, but rely on ourselves and consequently go into our battles naked and vulnerable. We cannot be a refuge for ourselves. David’s strength did not come from the cave in which he hid or slings that he carried. His high tower, his refuge, his strength was in The Lord. Without The Lord no cave could have hidden him and no sling could have protected him.

There is the story of a little boy who was crossing a busy street with his father. The little boy lost his footing and the father just lifted his feet off the ground and continued the last few feet with the boy dangling by one arm. When they finally got to the sidewalk, the little boy said, “I hanged on, Daddy.” Yes, he had, but the key was that the father “hanged on” to him. God hangs on to us. We are too weak on our own and when we need him our grip will tell God that we want Him to hang on to us. On our own, we cannot do it. On our own we will fall. On our own we will fail. In God’s grip we will prevail.

Micah 7:7-8 are wonderful verses. In the first six verses in Micah 7, the author speaks of how bleak everything is, but then he says this: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Israel Will Rise Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” If you have ever seen a Rocky movie, these verses will be at the moment that the music starts to blare and Rocky decides he can win and starts training like a maniac. When we reach the point in our lives when God truly becomes our refuge and strength in times of trial, we will not stay fallen.

Years ago a tale is told of a man who was sitting next to a preacher on a train. The man was bemoaning the fact that in spite of being a Christian things were not going well and he was considering leaving the faith. The preacher took out a pen knife and said he could make it stand on its point on his Bible in the rocking train. The man waited for the man to take his finger away from the knife, but he didn’t. “That is no trick,” he said, “you have not let go of the knife.”

“Of course not,” the preacher replied,”a knife cannot stand on its point on a rocking train without being held.”

The man looked at him for a moment and said, “I see; you mean that I cannot stand unless Christ holds me. Thank you for reminding me.”

We cannot stand on our own. This world is rocking with difficulties and we will not stay upright. We can say we will. We can make promises and try to keep them, but that won’t work. Instead we need something to keep us. That something is the strength of the Lord.

So when we are assailed by an army of difficult circumstances that threaten our peace, we must go to the only One who provides true safety. People have tried other refuges. The world advertises them all the time. But none are lasting, none are effective, none are truly safe. Jesus Christ is a strong tower, a refuge into which we can run and find true armor. He awaits our arrival in times of distress. There is no enemy too big or need too small. He surrounds us with His weapons, His army, His safe haven. No matter how bleak the situation may seem, this refuge will last, this tower will hold, the Savior will save.