Refuge

Since his youth, Joshua had followed the great leader, Moses. Scripture says that no one has ever demonstrated the “mighty power or performed the awesome deeds” that Moses did (Deuteronomy 34:12 NIV). However, Moses was dead. Now, the assignment of leading Israel into the promised land was on Joshua’s shoulders. The weight was heavy!

God’s righteousness means that he always acts in accordance with what is right and just. And he is the final standard of what is right and just. God is perfect, and all his actions are perfect. He is just in all he does. God can never think, desire, or do evil. He does no wrong. Here’s the way Deuteronomy 32 says it.

Fear is real and unrelenting. When you feel like you’ve conquered one fear, the thrill of victory is soon replaced by the agony of defeat from another fear. While anxiety visits us all, it is a permanent houseguest for some. The question is not “Will anxiety come?” The question is, “What will I do with the fear when it arrives?”

The people of Israel were free from the slavery of Egypt, but they were not free from the slavery of fear. After exploring the promised land, the majority reported, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Only two men contradicted the discouraging reports.

We all desire peace—a calmness and steadiness in a confusing and uncertain world. We want peace, and most of us fight against fear.

What makes you feel secure? Where do you go for safety? What makes you smile a smile of confidence? What delivers a settled peace in your soul?

Fear and doubt are uninvited emotions for us all. They roll in like thirty-foot rogue waves and crash onto the shores of our souls. They produce anxiety that leads to more fear and “what if” questions that lead to doubt.

God finds me in the darkness, the place where fear of the unknown resides, but he doesn’t leave me there. He is my personal light, revealing the sin of my heart, showing my desperate need, and illuminating the right path to take.

We all need a place of refuge. Life hits us hard and uproots what we thought was secure. Our strength is broken down. If we are fortunate, we huddle with others, but even then, no person can save us from the storm. Only One can.