Day 15: Our Refuge From Sin
Read: Psalm 5:11-12
When I was a kid, I used to love to watch thunderstorms. I remember gathering with my neighborhood friends and our parents in my family’s garage during summertime storms to watch the rain fall, the lightning strike, and hear the sky crack when the thunder hit. Sometimes, one of us kids would have the courage to venture out into the street to feel the raindrops falling down. Whenever one of us did this, our parents would firmly tell us to come back inside our garage. They told us it wasn’t safe to be outside during a storm when lighting could strike. Our garage provided a space to enjoy the storm in comfort and safety, just like our ultimate refuge in life: God Himself.
The first half of the first verse from our passage today, Psalm 5:11a says, “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.” As believers, we should be joyful in making God our place of refuge because He provides us with His protection. As the second half of verse 11 says, “Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” When we experience the comfort of His protection, it brings us peace because we know that He will keep us from spiritual and even physical harm. More than this, making God our refuge means we are receiving the greatest gift He could give us: His presence.
The second verse from our passage says, “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” This tells us that we not only receive God’s protection when we make Him our refuge, but we also receive His blessing and favor. Furthermore, when we are able to grasp the significance of what it means for Christ, who is God in the flesh, to be our place of safety, it gives us a whole new perspective on who exactly it is that we are trusting in as our refuge. It means we are trusting in the One who gives us salvation.
Christ lived the perfect life we were incapable of living because we are sinful by nature. When Christ died on the cross for us, He took everything we’ve ever done wrong upon himself. So if we simply repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus, God will no longer see our sin, but Christ’s righteousness and perfection, which will be graciously imparted to us. He is the only one who can do away with our sin and restore us back into a right relationship with God. He is our salvation and the reason we can experience joy. This is who we are trusting in when we make God our refuge. We are trusting in the One who provides the whole world with deliverance and protection from sin and death.
Have you ever thought about God as your refuge? He is our only safety and protection from sin and the destructive consequences it brings. During this season of advent, take time to reflect on Christ being your refuge from sin and your salvation and ask God to give you joy as you internalize this.