Our Shelter and Refuge

“My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust,” Psalm 91:1-2

In the book Gracelaced by Ruth Chou Simons, Ruth shares how her busy home (she is mom to six boys!) makes it a struggle to keep things tidy. She continues with something that was eye-opening to me (someone who loves to stay home and considers her home a peaceful sanctuary): our perfect home can be “an idol of the heart that can neither sustain nor deliver”.

In essence, she’s saying that we should find comfort in God, not our surroundings. I don’t think that means we can’t enjoy a peaceful home environment, but when we place our trust in that for our happiness, we’ll be disappointed. When things are chaotic, we will find ourselves unbalanced instead of harmonious, struggling instead of tranquil.

Of course, a restful home isn't the only thing that can take God's place as our shelter. As an exercise, she suggests filling in the blanks to find the “false shelters” in our lives. Like this:

_______________________ is not my shelter. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to place my trust and faith in you as my refuge from the storms of life. I know that there will be times that I’ll want a shelter free from adversity and hardship. I know to put my trust in you, and to find peace within you and your word, not within those idols of our world. Amen.

Donna Gustafson