Refuge, Not Retreat
“In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: Flee like a bird to your mountain…
When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” – Psalm 11:1,3 (NIV Excerpts)
Almost daily now, our sensitivities and sensibilities are being assaulted with cascading reports of gun violence and human massacre, here and abroad.
We should keep in mind that terrorism is not just designed to inflict bodily harm but psychological intimidation. It is designed to cause us to shrink in the face of fear and to retreat into enclaves of tribalism (“Us against them”), isolationism (“I’ve got mine, you get yours”) and nationalism (“Let’s build a wall”).
When the foundations are being destroyed, God offers us a refuge, not a retreat. It’s a refuge that shelters us from despair and protects us with the faith that no matter how awful the human toll, God’s truth still marches on.
How else can we explain why the Civil Rights workers of the 1960’s marched into the jaws of vicious racism in the South singing “We Shall Overcome?”
How else can we explain why in the aftermath of the massacre in Orlando, thousands still gather in cities across America to celebrate Gay Pride?
How else can we explain why protesters and police marched together in Dallas to call attention to Black Lives Matter, and why protesters and police mourned the lives of the police who were assassinated and why protesters and police vowed together that those fallen officers did not die in vain?
In the terrible face of bullets and human wreckage, God’s truth still marches on . . . and that truth keeps us free.
Prayer
God, in the time of storm, we thank you for being our Refuge and our Strength. Amen.
About the AuthorKenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.