Mensa Otabil - My Place of Refuge (10/14/2025)
Proverbs chapter 14, verse 26: «In the fear of the Lord, there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.» It is so interesting how the Scriptures speak to us. The fear of the Lord is our strong confidence. The fear of the Lord does not give us timidity; it does not discourage us or disappoint us. When we fear God, we have strong confidence in Him, and in Him is our refuge. The Lord is our place of refuge. God is a refuge to the poor; He is a refuge to the needy, a shelter from the storm. He is a father to the orphan, a healer of the broken, a fountain of water to the thirsty, and the lover of the lonely.
When everything is against you, you can trust that God is not against you, unless you have separated yourself from Him. Simple words like these help and inspire us to trust the Lord, giving us an accurate picture of God. Many of us have been introduced to a wrong picture of God, sometimes stemming from our own view of what a superior authority should be like.
When we think of a superior authority, we envision someone who imposes on us-someone very strict and restrictive-who does not give us space to operate. Sometimes, due to our own traditional spirituality, we serve gods who are very capricious and act illogically. We bring these notions into our Christian faith, thinking of God as also capricious. Yes, God can do whatever He wants to do, but He does not do whatever He wants to do. God acts with His love, His grace, His mercy, and His kindness. Although He has all power, He uses His power well. That is why He can help those who have no help and shelter those who have no place to shelter.
Once you gain an accurate picture of God, recognizing Him for who He is beyond your fears and anxieties, it becomes so easy to trust Him for your shelter. One reason people struggle to trust God is that they have a distorted image of Him, believing He is a mean, wicked person out to get you when you make a mistake and to destroy you. Sadly, some preachers present that image of God. However, if you read the totality of the Bible-not just isolated verses-you will see that the picture of God is that He is good, kind, a helper, a refuge. He loves the lonely, the orphan, and the downtrodden-those who have no one to lift them up. That is the true image of God. Once that God becomes your confidence, every fear lifts.
When the world crushes you and deals deadly blows, you can come to the Lord, and He will bind and restore you. When you feel wounded and broken, you can go to the Lord, and He will put you together. When all men revile you, you can go to the Lord, and He will lift you up. When everybody rejects you, you can go to the Lord, and He will bring you to Himself. I trust that your picture of God will align with the accurate depiction of the God of the Bible. When you trust in Him and fear Him, your confidence in Him will be very strong.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, my confidence is in You. In You, I have a place of refuge from all the storms of life. In Jesus' name, Amen.»