God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Ps. 46:1)
WHEN WE LIVED IN RHODESIA (now Zimbabwe), we prepared a “safe place” in the event of a mortar assault on our suburb. Ours was in the hallway in the center of the house, away from doors and windows and surrounded by other rooms. Any mortar shell had to get through two solid concrete-and-brick walls to reach us. If we ever woke to the sounds of an attack, the whole family knew to grab their pillows and blankets and hunker down in that area. We held practice runs in the form of games to see how fast we could all get there. It wasn’t as safe as the underground bunkers or bomb shelters used in World War II, but it was the best we could do.
Over this past decade alone, tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides, hurricanes, and other natural disasters have caused the changes described in Psalm 46:2–3. Wars, coups, massacres, and criminals have wiped out multitudes (v. 6). But this week we have also seen threats of a different kind.
We need spiritual “safe places” in which we can find protection from the weapons of Satan. “God is our refuge and strength,” said the psalmist. God is our only “safe place”—and He’s always there, whether our trouble is physical or spiritual. We need only be sure we practice reaching for Him at all times.
If you haven’t already, begin to regularly ask God to be your “safe place” through His Son.
Shirley Corder is a registered nurse, pastor’s wife, and cancer survivor. She lives with her husband near the sea in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
