Read: Psalm 11, 1 Samuel 23:14 

Imagine being David, fleeing and hiding from King Saul – who is seeking your life purely because of his jealousy. If you look up a map of David’s journey, you will see that he went all over the place trying to elude Saul. Trying to find refuge.

A refuge is a place of shelter or protection from danger. And everywhere David went, from the city to the wilderness, that is what he was trying to find. Shelter. Protection. Safety from danger.  

But as he was physically trying to find places of refuge, his soul knew a crucial truth. No stronghold, no hiding place, no weapon, no person was sure to keep him safe. No, his true refuge was the Lord. David’s true protection and safety only came from Him.  

David knew that “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (Psalm 11:4). First, he knew that God was the one truly on the throne, not Saul. Secondly, He knew that God was “a God of seeing” (Genesis 16:13). God saw David, and God saw Saul. He knew the situation. And third, David knew that because God was righteous, “the upright shall behold his face.” In the end, the wicked would be defeated, and the righteous would see God. 

Knowing that, David could live in the face of this enemy. And because our God does not change, we too can confidently take refuge in Him. He is still on the throne, He is still the God who sees us, and He is still righteous and just. 

The strongholds of this world will fail us. It is God who keeps us safe.

Is there anything that you are “fleeing” from, that you need to take refuge in God from?