But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. Psalm 73:28

Do you know how good it is to be near to God? How much better it is to be near to God and perhaps have nothing than to be far from Him and have everything? It is truly good to be near God. Sometimes we can think that we cannot be near to God due to trials, temptations, failures, etc. but the truth is the Lord wants to be our refuge. A refuge implies that there was a time of trouble, but you found safety during this time of trouble in that refuge. The Sovereign LORD wants to be our refuge.

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

I can say just as the Psalmist has declared that it is good to be near God. When I am in rebellion to God and feel far from Him it is the worst. I feel dead, unmotivated, restless, discouraged, I become unfaithful, and unhappy but when I am near to God I feel alive, motivated, revived, encouraged faithful, and overflowing with joy. That is something that is good and I am not willing to trade that for any pleasure the world can offer.

The LORD [is] their strength, And He [is] the saving refuge of His anointed. Psalm 28:8

But the LORD has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge. Psalm 94:22

I too have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge. I have found safety in Him when I didn’t know what to do. I have found safety in Him when I felt like I had made the wrong choice and simply gave up my life into His hands (and He worked everything out for the good).

The LORD of hosts [is] with us; The God of Jacob [is] our refuge. Selah. Psalm 46:7

I have found the Lord to be the best refuge and I am making a point to tell you about it because I want to encourage you to go to the Lord and make Him your refuge as well. If you are feeling far from God it is time that you remember how good it is to be near to Him. If you are thinking that you can’t then remember that the Lord is your refuge, a very present help in trouble, and He is just waiting for you to come under the shelter of His wings.

[1] He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. [2] I will say of the LORD, “[He is] my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” [3] Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler [And] from the perilous pestilence. [4] He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth [shall be your] shield and buckler. [5] You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, [Nor] of the arrow [that] flies by day, [6] [Nor] of the pestilence [that] walks in darkness, [Nor] of the destruction [that] lays waste at noonday. Psalm 91:1-6

The secret to taking refuge is dwelling and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. It is a secret place, not because it is not know but because few have been known to go there. Still though, to choose to abide in Him as your refuge requires a decision to trust in Him. I wish I could could just tell you how amazing and right a decision like that will be though, there is no God like our God and there is no help or protection like His.

[7] A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; [But] it shall not come near you. [8] Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. [9] Because you have made the LORD, [who is] my refuge, [Even] the Most High, your dwelling place, [10] No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; [11] For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. – Psa 91:7-11 NKJV

Though a thousand others fall at your side and you alone are left fighting the battle and ten thousand more fall at your right hand destruction shall not come near you. When you make God your refuge and your fortress He promises protection from evil. You will not receive the same reward as the evil. What is the reward of the evil? It is eternal damnation and destruction. That is something that we, the righteous by faith in Christ Jesus, will only see with our eyes. We will only look upon what it would be like to know eternal destruction, but we will never personally have to experience it.

[12] In [their] hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. [13] You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. [14] “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. [15] He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I [will be] with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. [16] With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” – Psa 91:12-16 NKJV

There is no trial, temptation, failure, etc. that He cannot protect you from. If you set your love upon the Lord He will deliver you. You will call and He will answer and He will be with you through the trouble and in the end that trouble will bring you honor. The key though is making Him your refuge through that trial and trusting in Him, no matter how bad things appear to get. The verses that we just read are amazing promises that we don’t deserve, but that is why I said it was so good to be near to God.  So go to the Lord as your refuge, then tell others of the deeds that He does so that they too can be encouraged to do so.

I will say of the LORD, “[He is] my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust. Psalm 91:2