The Presence of Refuge

"Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." So concludes Ps 124 which is also the opening response in Compline, that hour of prayer wherein we commit ourselves and each other to the Lord's care throughout the night. Confessing that your help is in the name of the Lord, and none other, is language of refuge, the language of the refugee, the language of those fleeing to the Lord for the storm is far too great. Yet, the storm is not too great for him.

Often times we may think of refuge in terms of a secure stronghold or a safe haven, and indeed there is biblical language for those images (e.g. Ps 31, 91). But such are not the only expressions of the refuge the Lord provides. In the calming of the storm, Jesus quieted the wind and waves, but there already was a greater refuge given to the fearful disciples, screaming and scrambling in the boat. That refuge was (and is) only this: God with his people, for his presence is refuge. For though turbulent waves come over the boat, if the maker of heaven and earth be there, the wind and waves must obey him. This is true for the physical, material world, for it is the work of his hands. It is also true for that other part of life, the domain of the affections, the soul, the world of the heart, for He has also formed and fashioned it.

It is good to seek that type of refuge wherein we are sheltered from the wind and rain, where we are warm, comfortable, and well fed. But when, in the Lord's providence, he sees fit to keep us in the rain far longer than we would prefer, perhaps even to the point where we think we will break, even there may we find our refuge in him. May his presence be your refuge.

Grace & Peace

Jesus Calming the Storm | Lu Hongnian, 20th c.