God Is Our Refuge

“…God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” ESV Psalm 46:1

Many of you know that next to riding my bicycle there are few activities that I enjoy more than hiking in the Sipsey Wilderness area of the Bankhead National Forest. Every time I go I am simply awestruck at God’s magnificent creation. Occasionally though, I am reminded that the Sipsey is indeed a wilderness.

Last winter, six of us (2 adults and 4 children) set out on a two day, eleven mile hike to the famed “big tree” and back. It’s a hike that can be accomplished in a single day, but it’s much more pleasurable at an overnight pace. There is a short cut, but of course that would take the fun out of it. Anyway, the first half of the hike is relatively easy, but the terrain and degree of difficulty go up substantially in the last two miles. So, roughly 4 miles in is where we typically drop our packs, make camp and relax for the evening.

Now, I don’t know what you know about primitive camping, but when you are 4 miles into the Sipsey, you are far removed from home, cell phone service, the safety of your car, etc. You are also 4 miles from any artificial light that you didn’t pack in and it gets really dark out there!

On this particular trip after we had quieted down, satisfied our appetites and settled in next to our fire, there was action in the darkness. Quiet unexpectedly; an owl hooted followed by what can only be described as the cry, no, the scream, of a bobcat. Both sounds came from about 30 yards up the trail from our camp. Now the owl was innocuous enough, but the bobcat… Suffice it to say that the bobcat scream was a hair raising experience; even for a seasoned camper.

The effect on the children was immediate and profound. Confidence in our camp was replaced by fear of things lurking in the dark; noisy, vicious things with unknown intentions. In the twinkling of an eye my confident, competitive, independent teenager was transformed into “daddy’s little girl.” And daddy’s little girl sought security and safety in daddy’s arms for the better part of the evening.

As any father would, I took her into the safety of my arms and offered all the comfort I could. I was her refuge. And I was glad to do it. Come to think of it, it was an enjoyable experience from my perspective. As our children mature and become independent those special moments seem to become infrequent and I cherish them all.

Do you suppose that it’s any different with our heavenly Father? No. If anything our heavenly Father desires even more to be our refuge and our strength. In fact, He desires that we rely entirely on Him and not on our own efforts and understanding in all areas of our lives. Regardless of your circumstances; regardless of your fears; regardless of the unknown dangers lurking in the dark; our heavenly Father desires to be your refuge, strength and very present help in your time of trouble. Why not call on Him today and rest in the safety of His arms?

Sweeter Than Honey

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. ESV Psalm 19:7-10

Have you ever encountered someone asking for advice that was really only interested in listening to someone who would tell them what they wanted to hear? Or maybe you even have a slight stubborn streak in yourself; able to recognize good advice but too stubborn to take it. I’ve got a little of that one in me.

When asking my mother’s opinion, she has replied to me more than once that “you’ll do what you want anyway.” Of course her statement doesn’t always hold true for me; especially the older I get. Amazing how time changes your outlook on things isn’t it?

The other day I offered some unsolicited advice to a friend. Without much thought he promptly replied that he didn’t “learn it that way” and admitted to being slightly stubborn and committed to continuing doing it his way. Frank Sinatra used to sing a song along those lines didn’t he?

Anyway, a day or two later I caught my friend taking my advice. Being the shy person [tongue firmly planted in cheek] that I am, I promptly inquired into his change of heart. He said that he may be stubborn and almost XX years old, but that he wasn’t too old to recognize good advice and give it a try. To which I had to admit, to my shame, that I don’t always accept good advice when I get it.

What about you? Do you seek and accept good instruction or do you prefer to do it your way? When it comes to daily living, do you seek out folks who’ll tell you what you want to hear or do you diligently seek out good advice? If you had a sure fire source of “never miss” advice, would you use it? That sure fire source is closer than you think.

You see, God’s primary way of communicating flawless, complete and timeless truth to us is through His word; the Bible. The Psalmist recognized this truth; look closely at our text. The Psalmist describes God’s instruction as perfect, refreshing, sure, upright, uplifting, pure, enlightening, timeless, true and more precious than fine gold; sweeter even than honey. Tell me, why would we ignore such a treasure? Why would we ignore testimony and precepts, direct from the Creator, sufficient to guide our every step?

The short answer I fear is that many times we would simply rather do things “our way.” But our way is not always the wise way and suffice it to say that there is never a bad time to accept wise instruction. The finest, wisest instructions available are found in the pages of scripture. Sure fire, never miss advice is near; what will you do with it?