Why is having a refuge important?

Psalm 4:8In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

Isaiah 4:6It [the Lord’s shade] will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.

We need a refuge because we are vulnerable on our own and unable to protect ourselves. Threats to our safety are not limited to the physical realm. Our mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing can also be under attack. We all need a divine refuge.

Psalm 62:8O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.

We need a refuge with God for our emotional well-being. There we can pour out our hearts to him, praying about our deepest feelings, thoughts, dreams, and concerns.

Psalm 31:19-20How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues.

We need a refuge with God to keep us safe from conspirators and accusers and the emotional damage they can cause. God loves and accepts us regardless of what others say, and that is enough.

Romans 8:35-39Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

With God as our refuge, no matter where we are or what happens to us, we can never be lost to his love.