Daily Devotional

Who do you trust? Who is someone that you absolutely know will have your back no matter what? When considering those questions I have several people that pop into my head and I hope you have some too. We should certainly seek to have relationships with people we can trust but no matter how trustworthy someone is, we’re reminded here that God is a better refuge.

Another way of looking at this is where you place your hope. Is our hope focused on a relationship, on a spiritual leader, or on a politician? There’s nothing wrong with trusting others but we need to make sure our ultimate hope is placed in God and not another person. Only God can be a constant source of refuge in all times of trouble.

During the times when the Psalms were written, a fortified city surrounded by strong walls was the epitome of a refuge. When traveling between cities a person was vulnerable, but inside a protected city they were safe. If battles were happening (as often did in the land of Israel) you’d be far better off inside the walls of a city than out on the battlefield. A strong city was certainly a good refuge but here’s the thing, it protected people IN the midst of trouble, and it did NOT make the trouble go away.

God is our refuge, the greatest refuge we could ever have, and yet we still face troubles and difficulties. He is our refuge IN those times of hardship. We are not promised a life free from trials, but we are promised a refuge. The best place to put our hope, the best place to put our trust is in God our refuge.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.