My refuge, my place of safety

The Verse of the Day for February 3, 2016 comes from Psalm 59:16 (New Living Translation):

But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.

The closing verse of Psalm 59 reiterates the same message:

¹⁷ O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

The Psalmist expresses a watchful attitude toward God, a source of refuge who will come to his rescue in other related verses.

Psalm 62:7

My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

Psalm 91:2

This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

Psalm 119:114

You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.

Psalm 141:8

I look to you for help, O Sovereign Lord. You are my refuge; don’t let them kill me.

2 Samuel 22:3 summarizes a similar expression of looking to God as a source of safety, a refuge and savior:

My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.

Finally, in what the New Living Translation calls Jeremiah’s Prayer of Confidence, we find these words:

Jeremiah 16:19

Lord, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble! Nations from around the world will come to you and say, “Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless idols.

Esther Mui offers a musical rendition of selected verses from Psalm 59 as a Christian Scripture Worship song “God is My Defense.”

Psalm 59:1-2, 9-10a, 16-17:

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Defend me from those who rise up against me.

2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.

9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength;
For God is my defense.

10a My God of mercy shall come to meet me;

16 But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.

17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.

Psalm 59: God is My Defense

The Verse of the Day for February 3, 2015 comes from Psalm 59:16 (New Living Translation):

But as for me, I will sing about your power.

Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love.

For you have been my refuge,

a place of safety when I am in distress.

The closing verse of Psalm 59 reiterates the same message:

¹⁷ O my Strength, to you I sing praises,

for you, O God, are my refuge,

the God who shows me unfailing love.

The Psalmist expresses watchful attitude toward God who will come to his rescue in other related verses.

Psalm 5:3

Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

Psalm 59:9:

You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress.

Psalm 88:13 |

O LORD, I cry out to you. I will keep on pleading day by day.

Psalm 101:1

I will sing of your love and justice, LORD. I will praise you with songs.

2 Samuel 22:3 summarizes a similar expression of looking to God as a source of safety, a refuge and savior:

My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.

Esther Mui offers a musical rendition of selected verses from Psalm 59 as a Christian Scripture Worship song “God is My Defense.”

Psalm 59:1-2, 9-10a, 16-17:

1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
Defend me from those who rise up against me.

2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
And save me from bloodthirsty men.

9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength;
For God is my defense.

10a My God of mercy shall come to meet me;

16 But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.

17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.

Psalm 59:16: Taking refuge

In reflecting upon The Verse of the Day for February 3, 2014, other verses that speak of God as a source of refuge also come to mind. I recall that my Psalm 27, my favorite, also mentions that “In the time of trouble shall he hide me. In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me. He shall set me up, upon a rock.” The Psalmist further explains that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and declares that “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God” (Psalm 62:7).

Psalm 118:8-9, which some believe to be located in the center of the Bible, also express a profound truth:

It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. (Amplified Bible)

The times in which we live seem to be especially challenging, as the pressures of life abound in the midst of what the Bible speaks of as “perilous times” or times that are difficult to deal with. The lyrics to “This Too Shall Pass” express what seems to be transpiring in our lives every day:

In the middle of the turbulence surrounding us,

These trying times are so hard to endure

In the middle of what seems to be your darkest hour

Hold fast your heart and be assured

From time to time, we may lose focus and become anxious regarding our circumstances that ever seem to fluctuate. During times of uncertainty when our feet seem to slip and we are about to lose our grip, we can turn our thoughts toward the promises of God, assured that just as He has been with us through the stormy trials of the past, so He will be with us now. Along with the Psalmist, we take comfort in knowing that God is our refuge.

I also recall lyrics to another original song:

I Will Deliver You

I will deliver you from the snare of the fowler.

As a bird escapes from the cage, so I will release you from captivity.

I will lift you up, out of the hand of your fiercest enemy.

I will draw you to myself and hide you under the safety of my wing.

I will deliver you from the raging deep waters.

The sea shall not overwhelm you, but I will bring you through the storms in peace.

I will lift you up, and bear you up on the wings of an eagle.

I will provide for you and hide you in my secret dwelling place.

These lyrics bring to mind a song of great comfort “You are my hiding place” offered by Selah”:

The Verse of the Day and other passages from the Book of Psalms remind us that God, our refuge, is a very present help in the time of trouble.