A refuge is a shelter or protection from danger or distress. In a world full of dangers and distress, it is good to know that God is our refuge. He is our shelter and our protection.
Psalm 5 is known as a Psalm of Lament. In this category of Psalms, we see a pattern:
From woe — the psalmist begins by pouring his heart out to God, declaring all of the difficulties he is facing.
To glory — throughout the Psalm, the psalmist begins declaring who God is and what He has done, essentially declaring the glory of God.
The psalmist knows God more and trusts Him more deeply.
The Bible reminds us that it is OK to be where you are, even if that is in a place of woe, but it is not OK to stay there. God is our refuge, and His protection is glorious.
Psalm 5
1 Listen to my words, LORD; consider my sighing. 2 Pay attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for I pray to You. 3 At daybreak, LORD, You hear my voice; at daybreak I plead my case to You and watch expectantly.
4 For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil cannot dwell with You. 5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence; You hate all evildoers. 6 You destroy those who tell lies; the LORD abhors a man of bloodshed and treachery. 7 But I enter Your house by the abundance of Your faithful love; I bow down toward Your holy temple in reverential awe of You. 8 LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my adversaries; make Your way straight before me. 9 For there is nothing reliable in what they say; destruction is within them; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongues. 10 Punish them, God; let them fall by their own schemes. Drive them out because of their many crimes, for they rebel against You.
11 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them shout for joy forever. May You shelter them, and may those who love Your name boast about You. 12 For You, LORD, bless the righteous one; You surround him with favor like a shield.
God is our refuge — we plead our case to Him. In verses 1-3, the psalmist sighs, cries, prays, and pleads with the Lord. He cries out to the the Lord — Yahweh, the Great I AM, the King, our God.
God is our refuge — we look to Him for leadership. In a world full of evildoers, God remains pure. As verses 4-10 teach us, the Lord leads us in the way of righteousness, making our paths straight. We enter HIs house by the abundance of His faithful love, and when we do we worship Him in awe.
God is our refuge — we run to Him for protection. When we take shelter in Him, we rejoice and shout for joy forever (see verses 11-12). Like a stadium roaring in victory when their team wins the championship game, we shout for joy and boast about how awesome He is. He blesses us and surrounds us with favor like a shield.
Derek, thank you, especially, for the part of this message that says, …”it is OK to be where you are, even if that is in a place of woe, but it is not OK to stay there. God is our refuge, and His protection is glorious.” I will be sharing this with some loved ones who are, presently, in a state of woe. Thank you for taking the time to send out these messages. Elizabeth Neace
You’re welcome. Praise the Lord.