(From This Month’s Email Devotion )

God Our Safe Place

Sometimes words can become too familiar.

If you’ve spent much time reading the Bible, you’re likely used to hearing God described as a refuge, a fortress, or a stronghold. Maybe you’ve tried to picture what it’s like to rest in his shadow or take shelter under his wings.

While this poetic imagery is beautiful and descriptive, sometimes these truths stay there, in the abstract. I don’t always stop reading or worshiping and allow the weight of these concepts to shape my day-to-day walk with God.

I’ve never been in a stronghold, other than touring old forts, so taking refuge in one is outside my realm of experience.

And the idea of divine wings protecting me? Well, my imagination creates some pretty funny images.

There are other words, though, similar words,* ones I hear a lot in conversation and online these days that resonate all the way down to my core. Words like:

Safe space

Empathetic witness

Secure attachment

When I think of God in these terms, it’s as if my soul begins to breathe. My shoulders relax and the freedom to be real chinks away at my walls of self-protection. I feel cocooned by his gentle strength. Seen. Known. Protected.

This, I believe, is part of what Scripture has in mind when it describes God as our place of safety. On a practical level, it looks like this for those who take refuge in him:

• Love frames the context of our relationship with God. We don’t need to perform or produce or pretend. He knows us fully and loves us consistently. We’re free to just be with him. To receive the life of his Spirit. To rest in the nearness of a gentle and humble God. To operate from the new identity he’s spoken over us. 

• God welcomes us to be real. As children of God, we face no condemnation from him. He invites us to pour out absolutely everything our hearts carry—all the emotions, every question and fear, even the accusations that arise when our experience doesn’t seem to align with God’s Word. In this tender, vulnerable place, God works to restore our souls. 

• Healing and change are possible. When we relate authentically with God, his Spirit begins making us new. He points out broken places, areas where we’re believing lies or living from old, unhealthy patterns. He reveals his character and our need and offers his presence and power to help us change from the inside out. 

• We’re shielded by his loving grace. In the safety of this relationship, God’s love pushes out fear, his truth replaces lies, and his acceptance gives us stability–even when life is painful or our circumstances feel out of control.

Because God is our safe place, our souls can rest and we can grow in wholeness.

*This is one reason I love reading Scripture in different translations. Alternate wordings tend to illuminate the text in fresh ways and new perspectives.

 God is our place of safety. He gives us strength. He is always there to help us in times of trouble.

Psalm 46:1 NIRV

Personal Takeaway: In your experience, have you felt safe with God? What words come to mind when you think of God as your safe place? What would/does it look like to relate to God as a safe Person?

Identity Check: Because God is my safe place, I am free to be real with him.

Prayer Prompt: Talk to God about your response to this devotion. Ask him to reveal himself as your safe place in a fresh and practical way today.

For Further Study: Read Psalm 18 and 91

If you enjoyed this devotion, why not sign up for more? Subscribe below for encouragement delivered straight to your inbox.