The Lord Is Our Refuge: Finding Shelter in God’s Perfect Way
- Lee Young
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
Psalms 18:30 (NIV)
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The LORD’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
The Lord is our refuge.
The law of Moses made the altar of God a safe place for those who had unintentionally caused the death of another so that no one could avenge the blood of the one who was killed. The significant marker of one’s qualification to run to the altar for refuge was that the death was accidental. The law stated that if a person became enraged and attacked another person, resulting in their death, that person was not allowed to take refuge at the altar.
The way of God is perfect, flawless for salvation and sanctification. The plan of God is intricately woven into the concept of refuge. The wages of sin is death. Vengeance belongs to God, and He is within His right to deliver the stated consequence of death. However, in His mercy, He is patient with those who continue to sin against Him willfully. However, for those who sincerely attempt to follow Him, doing their best to honor God, and putting forth effort to honor Him more and more over time, their sins are not purposeful. They are not intentional, even though in the moment of temptation, they chose to participate in it. The trajectory of one’s life and obedience to the Lord reveal whether one's sins are unintentional or not.
Unintentional sin happens because we are human. We don’t want to dishonor God, and this is made clear by the efforts we put forth and the measures we take to help ourselves avoid dishonoring Him. However, even with our best intentions, we may occasionally fall into sin. But God knows our hearts, and He can discern whether we truly want to honor Him or if it is merely lip service.
For those who put forth great effort to please God more and more, they will be shielded by God. They are shielded from the appropriate punishment and the full consequences of their disobedience. They are shielded within Him. He is the strong tower that we run into for refuge. We remain in Him through true repentance of sin, with remorse, as we continue to pursue holiness. We are shielded from the spirit of death that steals life from our spirit. Death takes from us the love, joy, and peace we have from God. Death steals His plan for our lives. But when we live to please Him in increasing measure, though we may have some failures from time to time, we are shielded in Him. The Lord is our refuge.
Prayer: Lord, I hate it when I fail You, but let my desire to please You be sincere through the discipline of pursuing a path that honors You more and more. Amen.
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