Wednesday, July 7, 2010

God Is Our Refuge

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!'"

-- Deuteronomy 33:27

I've been thinking alot lately about kids who suffer abuse and neglect at the hands of people who should protect and cherrish them. Where do they turn? Who is there for them? The police? Well, they do what they can. But sometimes they can't do anything until it's too late to spare a child from scars that will never go away.

Where does that child go? Where does the adult that child becomes turn when the memories become too much? God. Only God. There is nowhere else that is safe. Ever.

We don't want to acknowledge that. We want to believe we can create our own safety. If we have enough money, if we have a burglar alarm, if we watch carefully over our children...the list goes on and on. And that security, that safety, can vanish in a second because of a choice. That leads us right back to God. And only God.

The footnotes in my Bible explain that no storm can ever destroy us so long as we take refuge in the arms of our Father. It's where I've always gone. What about you? Some days I believe it is only His strength that is holding me up.

God uses broken people. I think one reason I like listening to Beth Moore as she teaches is because she came from brokenness. Maybe her compassion would be just as deep had she not been molested as a child. Only God knows. But I, and so many others, hear strength in her victory over evil as she teaches about God and His love for all His children.

It makes me want to reach out to all the broken children in this world. I want them to feel God's love. I want them to find strength in Him. I want Him to heal them and give them refuge from the evil they should never have experienced. And, yes, I want and trust Him to deal with the guilty who dared to hurt a child of the King.

God is our refuge. Our only refuge. Our strength. He gathers the abused, the unwanted, the hurting to Him and cares for them. Like He cares for you and me. Kneel down and feel His Presence. He is with you.