In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God. I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

As I think about the relationships and occupations in this world, it is easy to focus on the things that are not going well, not right or just, or offend or hurt us. Sadly, some make this the place that they rest in life … a resting place that is anything but restful. Bitterness and anger creep in and take over the sacred places in our hearts and govern our actions.

But David, the psalmist, tells us there is a better, more freeing and fulfilling way to live life. Is he in a challenging spot? Sure — this is clear by his appeal: “Turn you ear to me, come quickly to my rescue, be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.” He acknowledges the traps that evil men set to ensnare him. These traps can be actual traps to physically catch us, as was likely the case with David when he was being pursued by King Saul. Or, they can be relational or sin traps that can entice us to fall. Regardless, the first step is to acknowledge that these traps exist and that we are not strong enough to handle them on our own. We must ask God for help.

Then we can focus on who God is and the help he has already promised to give us in life. And we can call him into action through prayer and faithfulness to right living in challenging situations. Does this mean we are perfect? No. But it does mean we repent when we fall, we get back up, and we allow God to heal our hearts. It also means we seek after his ways hard, in order to become more like him and leave sin behind. Then, he becomes our rock and refuge. He is our fortress of refuge in life. If you have never been to the fortress, you may not know how to enter or where the safest sections are. You may not know about the signals available to call for help. But frequent visits to a refuge help us understand how it is designed to help us and we can use the help in better and better ways. It is similar with God and his Word. When we know him and the ways he protects us better, we can access those more quickly for help.

Lastly, we see that the place of rest and recovery offered in God’s fortress of peace is spacious and restful. Unlike a life governed by sin, under which we always have to look over our shoulders to see where attacks may come from, because we rely on ourselves or sinful man to protect us, with God’s Spirit in our hearts, we can boldly live protected, in a world under the siege of sin and the devil’s vices.

Lord, thank you for your promised protection and refuge for your followers. Teach me to be a frequent visitor to your spiritual fortress in prayer and the study of your Word. And when the trials come, may I quickly run to your loving arms for deliverance.