Refuge in the Lord

Introduction

Psalms are so different from the rest of the bible. King David wrote a lot of them during the course of is life. Psalms for me are in a way a writing where someone connects with God in a personal. It may be a poem or a song or both. They are written and often recited sometimes without recognition in songs we sing. There are some contemporary or hymns that are based or contain verses from a Psalm. Yet I must confess, I often avoid preaching from Psalms for the reasons above. I often struggle to see the Psalm in a more holistic view where a sermon can be preached. Yet, it is all in perspective sometimes. If you know me, I don’t care for musicals and I am not that good at singing so my natural inclination is to steer away but this past weekend as I was sitting and reading the various passages in lectionary, I could not seem to pick my sermon topic and passage. I finally reached out to Tonya because I just could not and shared a couple of the options but admitted my hesitancy with Psalms in general. When she replied back with her take on Psalm 27, I knew it was the right passage for this Sunday. In all this, I mean to say do not be like me and think the Psalms are limited in what they offer. There are examples of worship. Prayers of all types. Proclamations of faith are in many Psalms. The Psalms have so much to offer that help us connect with God. Today’s topic is finding and seeking refuge in the Lord based on Psalm 27. David wrote this psalm we study today.

Refuge

The very first verse of this Psalm sets the stage for our focus today. Depending on your translation, different words are used. In the NRSV and NIV it uses the word stronghold. In the NABRE it uses the word refuge. NLT and CEB use the words fortress and protecting. NET uses the word protects. KJV uses the word strength. All of these words are ways to interpret the original word used here.

Stepbible.org defines it as such: מָעוֹז (ma.oz) 'security' (H45

Occurs about ~35 times

Meaning

1) place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold 1a) place of safety, fastness, harbour, stronghold 1b) refuge (of God) (fig.) 1c) human protection (fig.)

Why do we need refuge?

So why do we need refuge in God? What is it that we need refuge from? In reading commentary on this Psalm, a statement was made. “Faith in God does not spare God’s servants from difficulties. But it equips them to live with courage and hope despite difficulties.” (New Interpreters Bible Commentary, 2015, Abingdon Press, Vol. 3, page 378) In other words, we are never promised an easy go at this life on earth. God did not promise to remove the difficulties in this life. We need refuge from them to remember whose we are and find strength, safety, refuge, and protection from those difficulties. Often when we look at things from a worldly view, we think the solution is to charge forward and defeat the difficulties we face. Yet the psalmist here does not put themselves at the center or as the one who will affect the outcome of their situation. Instead God is the center of their world and the source of their hope. It is God who provides a safe place. It is God who protects and strengthens them.

When we look at David’s life, he faced many difficulties before and after he became king over Israel. Yet I believe David never believed for once that he was able to face any of his enemies without God being his stronghold of strength. David knew God controlled the outcome of his various encounters with both human and beast conflicts. Just as the flock trusted David as a shepherd so David trusted God as his shepherd.

Our faith too is built upon God as the center of our hope. God is the refuge from our enemies. God is the one who gives us strength to endure the fight. Our reaction to difficulties and hardships needs to be seeking refuge in God for all our needs and our hope of a future.

Seeking refuge in God teaches us

While none of us want difficulties, they will come. David even though he was considered righteous, still faced many troubles before and after becoming king. Yet David knew where to always turn when they came for him. David’s faith in God as the refuge and stronghold was never shaken. When David remained in this stronghold of God, no enemy triumphed over him. Even when his own son betrayed him to take the throne, David still found refuge in God and safety from his enemies. When King Saul was chasing him down to kill him, David always was guided by God so his enemy never found him to destroy him. God thwarted all of his enemies. God’s strength and protection were around David his entire life. This is what it means to trust in the Lord. This is what the psalmist meant when he wrote this psalm. God had rescued him and preserved his life over and over against many dangers and difficulties.

We too do well to turn away from our wordly instinct to be our own refuge and build our own stronghold and fight our battles in our own strength. Today, we live in a place where you fix and work through your own problems. If you can’t do that then people look down on you. If you can’t fix your problems then you are weak or not trying hard enough. Folks, this is why we must avoid living in worldly ways. All these solutions are about how we fix things and our strength and abilities and power to affect the world.

These all fall short of making a difference or being sustainable. While we may fight hard against one obstacle, there is another behind it. While we may defeat one enemy, there are many others behind that one. I am not trying to paint a doom and gloom picture but making the distinction of our limitations and God’s limitless power. David was king over a nation, yet God truly was the one who moved the nation, the one who defeated his enemies. God is the one who protected him and gave him shelter. In response, David sang praises to God who was his refuge and strong tower. David did not want to rely on worldly ways or human abilities. David sought to focus on his relationship with God. He wanted to seek God and what God wanted of him. The relationship worked so David wanted to maintain it above everything else.

Teach me your ways

Verse 11 summarizes this refuge or stronghold God provides for David and others who seek God. Listen again to Psalm 27:11

Psalm 27:11 NRSV

11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

David wants to make sure he is following God’s ways. To falter on this means his enemies will get him. His enemies are waiting for him to trip up yet God is always ahead. For David it is important to stay on God’s path for he knows to deviate off of it means his enemies will get him. In other ways, by staying on God’s path, David trusts God to preserve him against his adversaries. The same goes for us. The more focused and committed we are to following God’s path, the less our enemies can trip us up. the more focused we are on pleasing God, the less this world controls us.

Folks we are always at a crossroads each day we are given. We can choose to rely and seek refuge in God as the protection and strength against our enemies. Or we falter and try to make our own ways work in this world. The more we try to make our own ways, the farther we fall from God’s path. Yet God’s grace is still there and God’s grace can still restore us from our fallen state. Let today be that day when you give up on your plans and embrace God’s. Let today and each day moving forward be God’s day where you seek God for refuge and strength against today’s enemies. Watch now what God can do to get you through the battles ahead when you let go of the worldly ways and embrace God’s ways.