My Place of Refuge

DAY 59
11-17-09
NUMBERS 34-36


Good Morning!

At last, the Israelites are going to inherit what God promised to Abraham many years before. The land is being divided and the borders are set. God is both fair and generous in how he commands the land to be divided. Can you imagine how excited they must have been after camping for forty years?

One unique feature of the nation is the cities of refuge. They are places to escape to save a life from an avenger. If someone accidently kills another they can go to a city of refuge and be protected from someone who seeks to kill them because of an accidental death.

I love the idea of cities of refuge – a place to escape. In an emotional sense I take refuge at home with my wife. When life and work overwhelm me, my wife and my home give me peace and comfort. No one can make me feel the way Karen and my home can. It is a peace that is real. I can feel it.

In a spiritual sense, I take refuge in the Lord, his spirit, and his church. I can’t imagine how a person can survive without the hope and love we find in God, his son, his spirit, and his church.

I also find comfort in my friends. I need the friendship and the peace they give. I love the fact that I can chill out, escape, be myself, and have fun. My friends are a refuge. They are easy when everything else is hard.

Thank God for my refuge!

Barry

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. (Isaiah 25:4)