Christ Our Rock and Refuge

I’ve spent a lot of time in the Psalms these past couple of months. Primarily, because we are discussing the laments in the virtual support group I facilitate, but also because it’s what my own heart needs right now. I need the psalmist’s raw honesty to help me give voice to what’s going on in my own heart. I need to know I’m not alone in my feelings of loneliness, isolation, fear, disappointment, and sorrow. I need certainty in these uncertain times and the Psalms point me to what is true and unchanging.

As I thumb through the pages, there’s a repeated theme throughout the Psalms. Whether the psalmist is singing praise and thanksgiving or crying out in lament, there is oft repeated word or phrase he uses to describe who God is. The psalmist refers to God as his shelter and refuge. He describes God as a rock, a fortress, a stronghold.

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2)

“For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3)

“Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 71:3).

In practical terms, a rock is a place to hide behind. Its clefts and caves provide shelter from beasts and storms and enemies. A rock is also a foundation upon which we stand or build. It is solid and sure. Rocks are used to build walls and fortresses to protect those within. A massive rock, like a mountain, is immovable; It stands firm through the fiercest storms and battles.

So it’s no wonder the Lord is referred to as a rock. It’s one of his many names found in Scripture: “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he” (Deut. 32:4). Used figuratively, this name reminds us that we can run to God when we are afraid. We can seek safety and security in him. He is our dwelling place (Deut. 33:27). He is our protector and refuge from the ferocious storms of life. He is our savior and rescuer. And while all around us is chaos, our God is unchanging and constant. Steadfast. Strong. Sure. Faithful. Everlasting.

It’s also no surprise that Christ is referred to as a rock as well. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 10, that Christ was Israel’s spiritual rock during their desert wanderings “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (v.3). Christ is also referred to as the cornerstone of the church. Just as a building’s corner stone holds two walls together, Christ joins the church together (Ephesians 2:20). “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ’Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste’” (Isaiah 28:16).

Christ is the fulfillment of all God’s promises to be our rock and fortress. He is our true shelter and dwelling place. He is the answer to the psalmist’s cry for salvation and deliverance. He rescued us from sin and death. He united himself to us through faith in his life, death, and resurrection. He made us his own. He is our place of safety. Our refuge. Our strength. Our fortress.

We don’t have to go far to seek refuge in Christ, for he’s made us his dwelling place. His Spirit lives within us. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is the same Spirit who encourages our weary hearts, strengthens our faith, exhorts us when we sin, and transforms us more and more into the image of Christ. What an amazing thing to consider! When we need shelter and refuge, he is so near to us—just a prayer away!

This reminder has been such an encouragement to my heart during these uncertain times. Just dwelling on God as my rock settles my distracted mind. Knowing that Christ is my refuge and that he is always with me gives me hope. I pray it does for you as well.

Father in heaven, You are my rock. My shelter and place of safety. You are my firm foundation. You do not change. Nothing can move you. I thank you that in Christ, I am safe. He is my refuge and my fortress. Nothing and no one can snatch me from him. May these truths be my comfort and strength in these uncertain times. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Searching for a Forever Home

I’ve long enjoyed watching those shows where a realtor helps people search for a new house. They usually tour several homes and at the end of the show, they pick their favorite. I like seeing the inside of different homes, the diversity in architecture, and what homes are like in different corners of the country. I often find myself disagreeing with the homeowner’s final choice.

At the start of these shows, the home hunters describe the size and location of the house they desire, often ending with something like this: “We are looking for our forever home.” Forever home. So much is wrapped up in those two words. It’s a sentimental statement for sure, filled with memories, traditions, and family. It evokes feelings of contentment, peace, and satisfaction. There’s a finality to it. A dream come true.

I appreciate the sentiment. I love all things family and tradition. There’s something special about having the perfect picture window to place the Christmas tree in front of each year. Establishing a homestead to raise a generation and have them return each year with their own children is a worthy goal. I can relate to desire to create memories with loved ones gathered around the kitchen counter or dining table. And to etch a child’s height on the doorway molding throughout the years. To have a mantle to hang stockings on each year. To have that big wall in the family room on which to hang pictures of the kids as they grow throughout the years.

But as a believer, whenever I hear the phrase “forever home” I pause, because there’s something lacking in the sentiment. Actually, a few somethings. First, it assumes we know the future. We all want a semblance of control in our lives. Who wouldn’t want to know that you’ll live in the same house, in the same town for the rest of your life? By declaring something as “forever” we attempt to take that control, to steer our life where we want it to go. Yet to declare that where one lives as a “forever home” assumes that we know God’s plan for our lives. But as Proverbs reminds us “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (16:9). It may be that we live in one place for five years and then God calls us to relocate elsewhere. Like all our goals and plans in life, the very place we live ought to be held loosely, yielding to God’s sovereign will and plan. As James exhorts, “you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (4:15).

Sometimes, the idea of a “forever home” can become an idol we worship. It can be held up as the epitome of success and achievement in life. It can be one of those things we strive for, so much so, we aren’t satisfied or content until we have it. A house becomes that one thing we think will make us feel content and at peace. I know my own heart has whispered “If only I had__________” (a bigger house, a house with a yard, a house with a playroom, a house with an open concept to hosts friends, a house closer to friends, etc). We look to the perfect home to give our lives meaning and purpose and identity, rather than the One who made us.

The idea of a “forever home” also presupposes that God wants us to park ourselves in one spot and plant roots in the soil of this world. Many in our culture view this world as all there is. They don’t believe in life after death; therefore, they have to live their “best life now.” They have to meet all their goals, achieve all their dreams, and acquire all they can in the here and now. For some, that includes a “forever home.” If life ends at death, it makes sense that one would want a beautiful home to live in “forever.” But for those who are in Christ, we know that this world is not all there is. We are pilgrims— nomads on a journey in this world. This is not our home. Like Abraham, whom God called to himself and set him on a journey to the land of Canaan, we are on a journey to a place God has promised for us. And like Abraham, we won’t settle in that place in this life—he didn’t own but a burial plot when he died.

Our own Savior didn’t have a home of his own (Matt. 8:20). When Jesus ascended into heaven, he said he was going to prepare a forever place for us. One day he will return to judge the earth and make all things new. On that day, we will receive our “forever home.” We will live on the new earth for all eternity, worshiping and praising the One whom is our home and dwelling place. “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3).

There’s nothing wrong with settling into a home and raising a family there. It’s a blessing not everyone gets to experience, but it is one to be appreciated. We just have to remember that it’s not our ultimate joy. The perfect home will not make us feel complete and whole. It’s a temporary dwelling, a safe and dry place to lay our heads and eat meals with the ones we love. Like any good gift from God, our homes ought to point us to him. Because our real home—our forever home—is found in the presence of God himself.