Refuge by Keri Hoes

When one of our boys was a preschooler, we got the dreaded “can I speak with you?” from our son’s teacher at church.  Even inching toward 40, my stomach still bottomed out if I thought I was in trouble! Our son had done something bad in class. I later learned that this something was a thing most every kid tries. At the time I had no idea and was in a fluster. That was until I spoke to trusted friends a decade ahead of me. I found comfort in their relating stories. One of them said, “don’t let those teachers decide for you what he did was right or wrong. God decides that.”  It was in those early years the Lord began teaching me about refuge.  I ran to the Lord and asked what he said about the “something.” Then I depended on Him to tell me what was or wasn’t a big deal.  He became my safe place, my defender, my truth.

Refuge is the word I can’t shake in this season. The world needs a safe place to find peace, comfort and rest. One of my favorite movie quotes is from Shawshank Redemption, in a scene when Andy’s friend, Red, says something like, “the world went and got itself in a dang hurry.”  This is exactly what is happening now. We’ve been using schedules as our refuge. Busyness. Screens.  It’s just stuff to fill the space to avoid the noise that might gurgle up within the silence.  It’s much like the Israelites. Go read Numbers 14…  For real…  I’ll wait...

Moses kept trying to get everyone to stay in God’s refuge, but they’d trot back out on their own and then complain about their circumstances! What’s astonishing is instead of Moses siding with God that these people were lunatics, he interceded for them!

That is exactly where we are to be as believers!  When we position ourselves under the wing of God, just as Psalm 91:14 says, his promise is: “I will save those who love me and will protect those who acknowledge me as Lord.” (read all of Psalm 91 for some encouragement!)

Why is this so important? Because this is our time to step in as Moses did and call the ungodly to God. This is our season to learn how to be still and rest in the Lord so we can express that to the unbelievers.  It’s our time to call heaven down, to call the world to look up! The nations are hungry for a refuge… Establish it in you so you can take it to them!