My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; You save me from violence. 2 Samuel 22:3 ESV
Dark clouds gathered. The winds raged. And lightning streaks pierced the skies over Dallas and its suburbs. The doorbell rang. Momma ran to the door, opened it for my aunt and little cousin, Mikey. Panic colored my aunt’s face. “Kid, it’s bad out there! Tornadoes are coming for sure!”
Two young moms had three littles to protect, while both their husbands worked late shifts. The sisters knew tornadoes and their destructive power intimately. They’d grown up in Kansas and had one particularly unsettling close encounter when a tornado ripped through their parents’ farm.
Unlike the underground storm shelters of Kansas farms, modern suburban Texas homes offered no basements or shelters, at least not in the homes built in the 40s and 50s.
So, where do you shelter? Where do you find refuge?
The obvious answer, of course, is the bathroom. More specifically, it’s the bathtub. Apparently, the plumbing in the bathroom holds the smallest room in the house tight to the ground, while the rest of the house flies away in the whirling tornado. That was the only logical explanation I was ever given.
So, into the bathtub we went—my little sister, my younger cousin, and me. We were small enough that it seemed almost roomy, until the pillows were added. The pillows that had been yanked from all our beds were stuffed around us so tightly that death by suffocation became a more likely scenario than death by tornado.
My momma and Aunt NeeNee (I had given her that name because it was the sound her doorbell made when I pressed it) found seats on the toilet and on the side of the tub. We hunkered down until it was clear the tornado danger had passed. We had found our refuge in the storm.
The vicious storms in SE Michigan this past week reminded me of that childhood episode. The storms began shortly after we pulled into our garage after many hours on the road, traveling back from our West Virginia getaway.
Russ had left the house to run a quick errand while the wind and rain were still manageable. Now tornado sirens were blaring, and emergency weather warnings were sounding on my phone, as I stared out the front window of my office. The storm’s ferocity had escalated beyond expectations; I was concerned about my man.
He called to let me know he was close to home, but he had to pull over on the side of the road because the storm and winds had become too much to navigate safely. There was nothing to do but wait and pray as we waited for the storm to subside.
There was no shelter or bathtub stuffed with pillows; there was no physical refuge for Russ or his car. God was his refuge. And, praise God, He brought Russ home safely.
David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, knew about refuge.
David spent years on the run from jealous King Saul. After Saul’s willful disobedience, the prophet Samuel delivered God’s message to Saul that the throne would be taken from him.
As God’s power became increasingly evident in David’s life and victories in battle, Saul grew embittered and suspicious of David. Saul wanted to destroy David, sending David on the run.
Many of the psalms penned by David were written as he was fleeing Saul’s relentless pursuit. A constant theme running through Psalms is the idea of “God is my refuge, my place of safety.” Other metaphors that repeat that theme include: mighty fortress, hiding place, shelter, shield, rock, stronghold, dwelling place, strong tower, and many others.
These words show us how David viewed God. David knew God had anointed him to become king of Israel one day, but for almost ten years David was on the run from Saul and his army. Ten years of running and hiding, ten years of believing God’s promise, and relying on God to be the refuge he desperately needed so often.
When David wrote the words of Psalm 18, he poured out his heart.
A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3 ESV
What most strikes me as I think back on the storms of this past week, the tornadoes of my Texas childhood, the years that David was constantly on the run from his enemy, and the storms of life, struggles, health issues, trials, and crises that so many believers face every single day, is that God never promised His children storm-free days. He never promised life without stress, trials, troubles, or enemies. Never. Not once.
What He has promised is that He will be with us in every situation, good or bad—if we’re sitting in a bathtub surrounded by pillows, parked alongside a road in the middle of a raging storm, or being chased by the enemies and trials of life—He promised that He will always be our place of refuge. And He will always give us strength to withstand whatever attack may come.
The storms will rage, but we will be sheltered in the refuge of His love.
God has promised His children salvation and steadfast love today, tomorrow, and for eternity. He is our Eternal Refuge.
This God–His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. Psalm 18:30 ESV
How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 36:7 ESV