Our Safe Place

 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1 

If it were possible, I would invite you into my living room, serve up a nice hot beverage and a pastry so we could sit down and mull over the wonderful truth of this verse. It was this powerful verse that moved Martin Luther to write the beloved hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God. There is so much hope and encouragement in these fourteen words.

The word for “refuge” literally means “a place to which we can go quietly for protection.” This means that God is our safe place. He is our refuge. Not only is He our refuge, He is also our strength. This means we don’t have to depend on our own resources when trouble comes. We can press into and depend on His strength to protect and uphold us when the world is falling down around us.  

The psalmist also uses the personal possessive pronoun “our.” God is “our” refuge. He is the refuge of anyone who will run to him in times of trouble. When trouble rears its ugly head, and we come to the Lord quietly for protection, we will always find a safe place of refuge that is powerful as well as personal. 

God is never moved by trouble and if God is not moved, then, since we are safe in Him, our refuge and our strength, neither will we be moved.