Your Place of Refuge

Kay Arthur writes: "The muffled, distant sound had broken the quiet reverie of his walk across the meadow. The sharp barking of a dog almost irritated him. It was abrasive in that tranquil setting. As the barking grew louder, his eyes scanned the meadow, looking for the culprit.

"Suddenly a small doe broke through the edge of the woods. Now he understood. Leaning against the fence post, the man watched with compassion as the doe cut across the broad expanse of meadow. She was running straight toward him. He stood motionless, not wanting to add the fear of man to the animal's frustration. As the frightened deer leaped the fence, she staggered. The chase had taken its toll. Her wet coat gleaming in the sun, the doe stopped, took a few steps in one direction, then, ears held high, looked back toward the sound of the barking.

"The dog had broken through the woods. Eyes wide with fright, seemingly confused and worn out, the doe surveyed her surroundings until she discovered the man standing beside the fence. Looking back again at the dog in hot pursuit, then at the expanse of open field before her, she turned weakly and walked straight toward the man and buried her head in his jacket. Compassion filled his eyes. She had found a protector.

"Where do you run in your times of need? When the hounds of trouble, worry, and fear pursue you; when the dogs of temptation, corruption, and evil seek to overtake you; when your energy is spent; when weakness saps you and you feel you cannot run away any longer, where do you turn?

In Psalm 91 we find the answer. Read.

Psalm 91 NASB95

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down. “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. “With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”

I want you to notice 3 glorious truths these verses teach you. 1st it teaches you that…

1. GOD TAKES CARE OF THOSE WHO DWELL IN HIM. (Vs 1-4)

- The 4 titles of God used here in vs. 1 and 2 are significant = for they stress God’s power as the Sovereign Ruler of the world.

(1) Most High Elyon = the Highest Supreme Being, owner of the Universe, the One Who’s All-powerful

(2) Shaddai = the One Sufficient for everything we need – has the ability to supply abundantly

(3) YHWH = the faithful God who makes a covenant with us / keeps it without fail, all His promises

(4) Elohim = His Supremeness - Greatness and all power / might

- The wonderful thing stressed here is this: you can have a personal relationship with this Great God of the Universe! … the psalmist says: my God…my refuge.

- And he further notes: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

- The one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High speaks of one who has placed his faith and trust in the Great Almighty God!

- To dwell = means to live, to spend time with = to live with God, to spend time with God.

- And the one who has placed his faith and trust in God will abide in the shadow of the Almighty = will come under the protection of Almighty God!

- Is there any greater place you could be than under the protection of Almighty God?

- Friend, this we know: God takes care of those who dwell in Him! God takes care of His children!

- Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Job, Joshua, Elijah, Samuel, Ruth, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Peter, James, John, Paul all found it to be true that God takes care of those who dwell in Him!

- And most of us here today have found this to be true too!

- We sing that great hymn God Will Take Care of You…

- Has God ever let you down? No! And He will never will! Our problem is we let God down!

TS – 2nd this passage teaches you about…

2. THE BENEFITS OF BEING UNDER GOD’s CARE. (Vs 2-13)

- There are 6 highlighted here that shows how the Lord intervenes when life becomes perilous and painful:

1) You find God to be your refuge (vs. 2) = shelter from trouble, danger

2) You find God to be your fortress (vs. 2) = safety, tower of strength, stronghold, the place that is inaccessible to the enemy.

3) You find God to be your deliverer (vs. 3) = one who delivers you from the enemies snare and onslaughts (vs. 3)

4) You find God to be your protector (vs. 4, 11-13) = one who covers you with His pinions (feathers) and wings (vs. 4 and vs. 11-13)

- And the One Who’s faithfulness protects you like a shield.

5) You find God to be your security (vs. 4) will cover you, put you under His wings

6) You find God to be your comfort (vs. 4, 5-10) again the picture in vs. 4 covered…and under…

- Then vs. 5-10 speak of this comfort you find in God!

- Do these 6 benefits make any difference to you? Encourage you? Give you hope? Give you strength?

- When you dwell in the shelter of the Most High - abide in Him, have put your faith and trust in Him, you will find these 6 blessed benefits to be true in your life when things become perilous and painful!

TS – 3rd this passage teaches you about…

3. THE LORD’S COMMITMENT TO HIS PEOPLE. (vs. 14-16)

- These verses reinforce the truth stated in vs. 1

- They bring the psalm to its climax with the divine reason for the psalmist’s confidence – and why you can have confidence too!

- The Lord speaks of the psalmist as one who has loved and known him.

- And not just known Him intellectually, but truly knows Him personally.

- Consequently, the Lord affirms that He will deliver the one who is devoted to Him and walk with him through all the dangers and peril life throws his way!

- Those who trust in the Lord never have to walk through trouble alone – Why? Because they have El Elyon, Shaddai, YHWH, Elohim with them and watching over them!

Conclusion

In 1662 there lived a Godly preacher named Henry Havers. Christians were being severely persecuted at that time, and this earnest man too was being hunted from place to place by soldiers who were sent out to take him prisoner. He preached in the country one day to a number of eager listeners who had waited for hours to hear the simple message of free salvation. Suddenly an alarm was given that a party of officers were on their way to arrest him. There was not time to mount his horse and escape, so he ran into an old house nearby and hid in a narrow passageway. No sooner had he squatted down in the darkness than a spider began to weave a web across the opening. Soon voices were heard and a soldier approached the place where he was hiding. After a quick glance the officer exclaimed, "It's no use looking for him in there. See the web across the opening? He couldn't have gotten in there without breaking it!"So off they went, leaving the preacher in a refuge that God had made safethrough the work of a lowly spider. When all was quiet, the man of God crept from his hiding place. And looking at the feeble thing that had acted as a shield to guard him, he said, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes" (Ps.118:9).