I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2

We’ve all experienced times when we were under a lot of stress. When you have a lot of stress, you don’t eat right, think right or sleep right. However, when that stress has finally been lifted, it is like a weight has just been lifted off our shoulders.

This is what the psalmist is writing about. After dwelling in God’s shelter and living under His protection, we can rest easy. The load has been lifted.

For the last few months we’ve had our 2-year-old niece (and her father) living with us. When one of us would chase her, she would scream with delight as she ran into the arms of another adult in the house. That person was her refuge, and she clung tighter as the chasing person approached even as her squeals got louder.

God is that refuge for us. Is something is “chasing” us, we know that can safely run into His arms. What that looks like is different for each person. What that feels like is essentially the same.