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April 5 Daily Devotional

Taking Refuge

Peter G. Feenstra

In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Ps. 71:1

Bible Reading

Psalm 71:1–8

Devotional

When a violent and threatening thunderstorm approaches we immediately look for shelter. Psalm 71 declares how the psalmist runs for shelter and finds refuge in the Lord when facing the storms of life. “In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.” (NIV) Taking refuge in the Lord expresses how we, as God’s children, are to entrust ourselves to His loving care and protection in uncertain, unstable and threatening situations.

The psalmist prays that God protect his life by providing him with a safe haven. This does not mean that the author wants to run away from the miserable and uncomfortable aspects of life. He needs God as his refuge and strength so he will be able to face every circumstance courageously.

The assurance of having the Lord as his refuge and protection did not come automatically for the psalmist, but it came from a life devoted and dedicated to God. He expresses this beautifully in verses 5 and 6, “For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.” Three times the psalmist uses the phrase “all the day” to emphasize his constant, unending praise of God.

The psalmist learned to praise the Lord from his youth. Not all older people can say the same thing. Instead of praising God they have become extremely embittered by the negative things that have happened to them. They are irritable and spend a good deal of their senior years complaining. In contrast, the author of Psalm 71 seeks refuge in the Lord, having saturated his life with praise and thanksgiving.

Senior saints who find refuge in the Lord have tremendous hope. There is no reason to fear the sunset years of this life. The sky is ablaze with the colours of God’s faithfulness and grace. Each day of our life testifies that God is a refuge and shelter against the storms and the enemies who threaten us. May the Lord give us the strength to believe that we are completely safe in His care while the storms rage; He will not leave us even when the evening shadows close in on us.

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