5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Psalm 118:5-14
If you’ve been following the current events lately you may have heard the term “safe space.”
A place where anyone can relax and be fully self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome or challenged on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background…
It’s a fairly recent term and is mostly associated with college campuses. Non-millennials will laugh at the term because it reveals just how fragile our students on college campuses have become.
This is not the safe space or refuge the psalmist is referring to. No, God’s refuge is for the battle-weary, discouraged soul in need of the strength that only God can provide. Our refuge isn’t a physical location (though it could be).
It could be in your bed as you think through the day’s events.
It could be in your car as you consider your upcoming day.
It could be on your knees as you think through what happened that day.
Now, we go to God’s safe space any time and in any manner we choose.
God Himself is that refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble -Psalm 46:1