Finding Refuge

Welcome to Our Daily Bread. I'm Sheridan Voisey and I've called today's devotional, Finding Refuge. My wife and I once stayed in a lovely old seaside hotel with large sash windows and thick stone walls. One afternoon, a storm ripped through the region, churning up the sea and pounding our windows like angry fists on a door. Yet we were at peace.

Those walls were so strong and the hotel's foundation so solid. While storms raged outside, our room was a refuge. Refuge is an important theme in scripture, starting with God himself. You have been a refuge for the poor, Isaiah says of God. A refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm. In addition, refuge is something God's people were and are to provide, whether through Israel's ancient cities of refuge or by offering hospitality to foreigners in need. These same principles can guide us today when humanitarian crises hit our world. In such times, we pray that the God of Refuge would use us, his people, to help the vulnerable find safety.

The storm that hit our hotel was gone the following morning, leaving us with a calm sea and a warm sun that made the seagulls glow. It's an image I hold onto as I think of those facing natural disasters or fleeing ruthless regimes. That the God of Refuge would empower us to help them find safety now and a brighter tomorrow. Today's scripture reading is from Isaiah chapter 25 verses 1 to 8. Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You and praise Your name. For in perfect faithfulness You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners stronghold a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Therefore, strong peoples will honor You, cities of ruthless nations will revere You.

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners, as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud so the song of the ruthless is stilled. On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine, the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations. He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces.

He will remove His people's disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. Let's pray together. Lord, it seems like every week we're hearing of another natural disaster or another brutal regime that is leaving so many people homeless and afraid. We long for that day when You throw a banquet for all peoples and wipe away every tear. God of Refuge, until that day comes, would You empower us, Your children, to help the needy find refuge and a bright new future. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Thanks for listening. I'm Sheridan Voisey and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.