refuge

Refuge

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

One often overlooked word from the Psalms is the word Selah. While Selah indicates a pause, theologians debate it’s exact purpose. As a lifelong musician, I equate that word with a full rest on my song sheet. But if you think of a rest as the place where the music stops, then you are missing out. Instead that rest is a place of refuge for our hearts, where the full impact of what has been previously played can be enjoyed without interruption. In today’s verse, we find that God has promised to be our refuge. He is our place of rest, where all that has happened before now plays quietly in our heartsĀ  In His refuge we may still not know what the final movements in His symphony may be, but we can know that He has redeemed us and written us into His eternal plan!

Stop and Think About It

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
"To the choirmaster, of the sons of Korah, according to Alamoth, a song. 
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 ESV

We don’t know what kind of trouble David faced when he wrote Psalm 46, but it is interesting that instead of trying to figure out his own solution, he decides to write a song. In the first line of his lyrics, he starts to remind himself of who God is and how He always comes through to help.

The intriguing feature of David’s song is that he divides it into three parts, and at the end of each one he writes the word, “Selah”, which can be roughly translated, “Stop and think about that for a moment.” David wants us to remember that when we face dangers and difficulties, instead of panicking, and running away, or running to the wrong place for help, we need to stop and think about God’s faithfulness, power and love. Now, we don’t necessarily need to write ourselves a song like David did to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness, though that’s not a bad idea. Just begin singing the words of Psalm 46 in your heart. God doesn’t care what melody you use. Then, no matter what happens, remember that we can always trust in Jesus. So stop what you’re doing and think about that!

Rock of Ages

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

In England of 1763, when Augustus Toplady wrote this song, he could not have known that a storm was brewing on the horizon. In just three short years, the American Revolution broke out, claiming the lives of 25,000 colonists and another 12,000 young British boys. For those losing a father, a brother or a son, the political outcomes paled in comparison to their personal losses. Today, it feels as if our society, our nation and our world stand on the precipice of another cataclysmic change. It is like the storms that blow in from the Gulf, here in Florida. While standing on the beach, the outlook seems sunny and hot, but just over the horizon dark clouds begin to form, the wind begins to blow and there comes the distant sound of thunder. Soon the lifeguards begin to yell, “Get out of the water! Get off the beach! Find shelter!”

In the lyrics of this great hymn, our God, who knows what griefs and sorrows lie just over our horizon, also calls and gives us an invitation to run from the storm and find our refuge in the Cross of Jesus Christ!