The Plumbline

My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. (Psalm 62:7) While attacks will come, there is no greater way to settle our emotions than to remember God is our immediate and long-term refuge. The most important thing we can remember when under attack by the enemy of our souls is that NO enemy can reach us when we seek refuge in him. We aren't going to avoid attack, but we don't have to face it without protection! I have been high up in the mountains, enjoying the serenity of a cool stream and stirring sounds of nature, all the while 'out of reach' to anyone. The cell towers just don't reach those remote places yet! God's protection is more than 'being out of contact', though. It is a definite 'place' of protection. The walled cities of olden days are no longer, but there was a lesson to be learned there. Those walls actually provided protection from whatever was on the outside trying to get in. We

But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat, so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled. (Isaiah 25:4-5) A tower of refuge to the needy in distress. The more we read of God's power to protect his creation, the more it should drive us into his arms. Why? We live in a world where 'oppressive acts of ruthless people' can get us down quicker than we know. We need the protection of God's presence, but we also need the protection of his Word. The Word is a powerful tool to combat the lies of the enemy and to expose all manner of deception - the deception 'ruthless people' seem to operate under. Ruthless people operate in a realm wh

It was an Iranian poet by the name of Saadi who said, "I fear God and next to God, I mostly fear them that fear him not." Ponder that one for just a moment and it might ring true in your ears today. Those who don't fear God are all around us, oftentimes creating such upheaval and havoc that the world has no chance to be at rest for any length of time. Ray Comfort once said, "When men don't fear God, they give themselves to evil." There were no truer words spoken.  Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8-10) The lack of reverence some show toward our holy God is sometimes hard for me to understand. How can they look around at all that he created and not see his profound goodness? How can they strive for some 'goodness

God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power. (Job 37:5-7) If you have ever been in the midst of a thunderstorm, you might have just sat and listened as the drops of rain came down and the winds billowed a bit. The patter of the drops on the rooftop aren't all that threatening, but when the huge crack of thunder comes and the sky lights up with lightening, it is another thing. As a wee kid, I'd be outside playing when the winds would start, but they didn't faze me. As soon as I heard that first rumble of thunder, I bolted to the fence line and called to mom. Why? I wanted deliverance from the storm! Within a matter of minutes, mom's arms would be around me and we would be safe inside the protection of the house. The rains came, the winds blew, lightening crisscrossed the sky, and some of the louder

We can seek refuge in a great many things, such as our bank accounts, but I heard a report just the other day indicating that Americans once reported they felt 'secure' when they were making six figures - today they only feel secure when that 'six figures' is upwards of a quarter-million a year! The average worker goes into a new job interview expecting to make upwards of around $78,000 annually - up $5,000 from the previous year. If we haven't learned by now, our refuge is not in a bank accounts or retirement funds. It is found in God alone - all other 'placement of trust' is like taking refuge in a cardboard box in the midst of a hurricane! Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” (Psalm 16:1-2) Put your trust in money, and you soon find you are spending a whole lot of time and energy working to get money, thinking about money, and talking about how to make or

The seventh Psalm starts out with the words, "I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!" We know that David spent a great deal of time either running from Saul and his warriors or fighting one battle after another to maintain his kingdom - and some of those battles were from within his own family. There is probably something quite 'practical' in these words because a warrior needed protection on occasion - just to get away from it all and to recover from the fight. An area of 'strong defense' was a godsend to a warrior. For David, he might have needed a 'physically defensible position' from which he could take refuge. It is also quite possible he may have needed a 'spiritually defensible position' where he could be renewed and refreshed 'in the battle'.  We need both on occasion - a physical place that brings us a sense of safety and a spiritual place where our emotional and spiritual health is

You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, Say this: “God, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!” That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and s

Every now and again I run across an 'old school' preacher who will blurt out, "God is good", expecting the response, "All the time", from those he or she is around. It was frequently used as the 'affirmation' of our trust in his goodness and grace that we were expressing back in the day. We don't hear it very much in our local churches these days, but it is a good thing to remember - our God IS good. He isn't 'becoming' good - he IS good. He isn't enticed to 'do good' - he IS good. The state of 'IS' really means in the present tense, at this very time, without any hesitation, or without any concern that something exists - he IS good. The Eternal One is good, a safe shelter in times of trouble. He cares for those who search for protection in Him. (Nahum 1:7) Three short things we can learn from what our writer shares here today. First, God is good - even when we doubt his goodness, he never ceases to be good.

Blessed be  God —he heard me praying. He proved he's on my side; I've thrown my lot in with him. Now I'm jumping for joy, and shouting and singing my thanks to him.  God  is all strength for his people, ample refuge for his chosen leader; save your people and bless your heritage.  Care for them; carry them like a good shepherd.   (Psalm 28:6-9 MSG) Each of us have been through a rough stretch or two in life - times where we don't think we are going to make it because either relationships fall apart, circumstances keep us so frustrated and busy, or coming to the realization absolutely nothing was working out as we had hoped no matter how hard we tried. Companions may have turned against us, maybe even conspiring to destroy our reputation and keep us from some role we had been dreaming of all these years.  The constant running, the immediate danger, and the ever-churning frustration causes us to cry out to God for help - it could be we are just left silent and p

My protection and success come from God alone. He is my refuge, a Rock where no enemy can reach me. ( Psalm 62:7 TLB ) Protection is often thought of as the preservation from harm or injury. It comes from the root word 'protectio' in Latin and means "a covering in front". We want God 'out front' in our lives - shielding us from all harm that is attempting to find a means to lay us out. The idea is that of 'guarding' so as to keep safe from invasion or loss. The President of the United States has a 'protection detail' with him wherever he goes. His 'detail' is huge, not only in number, but in the armored vehicles he has at his disposal and the military defense at the ready wherever he goes. The purpose is to keep him safe from any harm that might be planned for him. This allow him to do his job, much like God's protection 'out front' in our lives helps us 'do our job' on this earth. The right 'protection' mak

I am pleading with the Eternal for this one thing, my soul’s desire:  To live with Him all of my days—in the shadow of His temple, to behold His beauty and ponder His ways in the company of His people.  His house is my shelter and secret retreat.  It is there I find peace in the midst of storm and turmoil.  Safety sits with me in the hiding place of God.  He will set me on a rock, high above the fray.   (Psalm 27:4-5 VOICE) "Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day." (John Wooden)  Mr. Wooden was a college basketball coach, spending most of his career at the UCLA campus coaching the team into national play-offs and huge wins.  His "drive" was a bit more "internal" than it was "external" though - for his drive came from the relationship he ha

We run into people on occasion who make out God to be some big, bad "guy in the sky", who sits upon a throne, passing judgment on earth below.  They simply don't understand the mercy of God - seeing "justice" as only the "bad stuff" which happens to people.  If we look at justice in the most literal sense, we find it means to give both reward and punishment - based on a set of moral principles.  Therefore, to think of God as simply the "big bad guy in the sky" is a wrong perception of his "role".  First and foremost, he is the one who cannot vacillate from a standard which is morally correct.  He sets this high standard of righteousness and then he sticks with it because he cannot cross that line.  It would be a violation of his holiness and "rightness" if he did. We find there are times we want to blame the "big bad guy in the sky" for every bad thing which happens on this earth.  In truth, the bad stuff which

To take refuge, one must move into what has been provided as "cover".  In the terms of a hunter, they set up a small tent of sorts, creating an illusion of "belonging" in the surroundings.  The illusion is meant to fool those animals who frequent the area, giving them a sense of security, but not alerting them to the intruders in their midst.  God's refuge is unlike that of the hunters - for it is never an illusion, never meant to trick, and does not disguise those who would attempt to intrude upon its security.  Yet his refuge is a place of "cover" for those who avail themselves of it.  Not a place to "duck and cover", but a place of protective covering, free of worry and harassment.  But you’ll welcome us with open arms   when we run for cover to you.   Let the party last all night!   Stand guard over our celebration.   You are famous,  God , for welcoming God-seekers,  for decking us out in delight. (Psalm 5:11-12 MSG) Some things

When I was a youngster, we played the simple game of "hide and seek".  In those days, we had a great neighborhood for hiding.  We had 13 citrus trees, a huge mulberry tree, and two pretty impressive sized junipers.  All provided ample hiding space for one who could scurry up the trunk and into the cover of the leaves fast enough.  In addition to this, we had all kind of hiding places behind the pigeon coop, around the pool area, behind the garage, and even behind a row of shiny silver trash cans.  Yet, as I recall all the places I hid, none was as safe as the place I run to now! 1-3  God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.  We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,  courageous in seastorm and earthquake,  before the rush and roar of oceans,  the tremors that shift mountains.    Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,   God -of-Angel-Armies protects us.  (Psalm 46:1-3 The Message) We all have "hiding places" we run to, don't we?  Some are m

You're my place of quiet retreat;  I wait for your Word to renew me.  (Psalm 119:114 The Message) As time passes, I have realized the value of times of retreat.  I used to think of times of retreat as something along the line of a "forced withdrawal".  I really just did not enjoy time away from what I was doing everyday.  Some would have called me a little too "retentive" - - if you know what I mean!  I have come to recognize that "retreat" is sometimes the most strategic thing you can do! The very act of withdrawing into a place of quiet and safety is often the best "move" we make.  That very "movement" into a place of what appears to be a "lack of movement" is actually bringing us to a place of refuge - - within that refuge, there is privacy for the planning of the next movements we will make. The opposite of retreat is advancement.  There are very specific times when we need to pull away, step back,

  9-10   God 's a safe-house for the battered,       a sanctuary during bad times.    The moment you arrive, you relax;       you're never sorry you knocked.  (Psalm 9:9-10) If you have ever watched a spy movie, or perhaps a story about someone in the witness protection program, you will understand the term "safe-house".  I looked this term up this morning and found a rather interesting definition:  A dwelling or building whose "conventional" appearance makes it a safe or "inconspicuous" place for hiding, taking refuge, or carrying on clandestine activities.  Okay, so let's take that apart a little further to see what God is really saying to us in these verses: 1.  A safe-house has a normal appearance - it does not stand out, with all kinds of signs that it is a place of shelter.  If it had bars on all the windows, motion detectors in the yard, a huge fence surrounding the lot, etc., people would be suspicious about what goes on within the

Be still, and know that I am God... (Psalm 46:10) Those three words, "I am God", carry so much meaning.  In those words, God declares that he is our refuge, strength, conqueror, and redeemer.  This is an expression of his love, his might, and his grace. As our refuge, he is our shelter, or our place of escape.  There are always going to be times when we just need a "safe" place of repose and renewal.  When under attack, we have hopes for a place of covering - that is what God is for us.  When we are without resources of our own, we hope to find a place that will provide what it is that we need - that is the place God prepares for us. As our strength, he is all that we need in order to endure.  In his wings, we find the provision to endure.  He is the one who gives us the ability to resist the forces that are against us.  As our strength, he is also the one who gives us both our potency and our intensity for life. As our conqueror, he is the one who removes obsta

1-2  God, the one and only— I'll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not? He's solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, a n impregnable castle: I'm set for life.  (Psalm 62:1-2 The Message Bible) 1  Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.  2  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2 The New International Version) David spends a good deal of time in this Psalm addressing his enemies, those he considers to be is close friends, and even himself.  He is proclaiming his position in God - impregnable, immovable, solid.  When one finds that they are mobile - they are capable of being moved - changeable in mood, appearance, or purpose. When one is immobile - there is a fixed position in mind - incapable of being moved or not moving at all. David was surrounded by enemies - the battle was ON.  Though surrounded on all sides, he declares that he is fixed on God an