Refuge & Rescue

I love coming home after a trip. My home just seems to welcome me. I’m not into majestic and massive space to live. I really try to live fairly simple and plain. My wife and I have raised our children there. We have faced struggles and experienced great joy at home. I’ve had a few small surgeries (they are only minor when they’re happening to someone else) over the years and I could hardly wait to get home.

The cities of refuge in scripture were an excellent idea. These cities were safe places to come while guilt or innocence was being figured out. Check this out…

1 Then the Lord said to Joshua: 2 ‘Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3 so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. 4 When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them. (Joshua 20:1-4 NIV)

Refuge implies hiding out while rescue implies being saved from harms way. These two are closely relatable to me. I can find refuge when I run to the Lord. He keeps me safe. He sometimes hides me. He protects me. I find rescue when I’m in a mess and I need help to navigate out. As I walk through this journey, I realize that I need both refuge and rescue at different times, but sometimes for the same reason. The enemy is crouching and ready to pounce at any given moment it seems.

My refuge Provider and my Rescuer are always close at hand. As long as He is with me, I’m in a place of REFUGE and available for RESCUE.

Pressing On!

Dwayne