Find Refuge in Him
by Paul Griffin
In Psalm 2 we read that, although ungodly nations may rise up and oppose God and reject His ways, ultimately God`s kingdom will triumph. In context, Psalm 2 refers to the pagan nations surrounding Israel, during the reign of King David, such as the Philistines, Moabites and Ammonites who at times would rise up and attack Israel. God, however, was with David and these enemies were eventually overcome and defeated.
Psalm 2 can also be seen as a prophetic picture of earthly events from God’s perspective, a picture, not just describing wars and physical battles, but describing the spiritual battle between God’s word and God’s truth and everything that seeking to undermine or distort them. It’s a picture which describes the present ongoing spiritual battle between God’s truth and the deceptive beliefs behind ideologies such as Islam, atheism and human secularism. I like the way the Living Bible translates Psalm 2:1, ‘What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! How strange that men should try to outwit God.’ In other words, the psalmist is declaring that it is the height of stupidity to think we know better than God. The psalmist later declares in verse 4 that God’s response to their false and futile arguments is to laugh and hold them in derision.
What should our response be in the face of this spiritual battle? The answer the psalmist gives is found in verses 11 and 12. Firstly ‘serve the Lord with fear’ and secondly ‘take refuge in Him.’ Don’t allow the battle to be a distraction which stops you fulfilling God’s plan and destiny for your life. Continue to serve God with reverent fear, knowing that He alone is the judge of all things. Let Jesus be the strong tower you go to for encouragement and strength when you are feeling battle weary in the midst of the struggle.
The writer to the Hebrews encourages us in a similar way. No matter what the circumstances or the spiritual oppression we are facing, he writes: ‘let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith’ (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Prayer: Thank You, Father God, that You are the one enthroned above all the earth. Help me not to be distracted by those who attack the truth of Your words. Help me today to press on into all the plans You have for my life. Thank You that, when I feel weary, I can come to You for You are my fortress and my strong tower. Amen.
Paul Griffin Paul spent 20 years working as a chemical engineer for an oil company in South Africa, the Middle East and Japan prior to going to Bible College. Paul and his wife Liz have been involved with Ellel since 1991 and are associate teachers as well as being authors of the books ‘Anger …How do you Handle it?’ and ‘Hope and Healing for the Abused.’
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
