Run to Him for Refuge

Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!

I have fled to you for refuge! (Ps.143:8)

While we might imagine that David was always the first to run to the battle lines to confront his enemies, this was not necessarily the case. “I have fled to you for refuge” recounts David. The word refuge is a word for covering, concealment, engulfing, hiding.

Fleeing for refuge reminds me of a mother hen with her little brood of chicks, who happily scamper in her vicinity until a shadow passes and then without a moment’s hesitation, they run under the hen’s outstretched wing until the threat is gone. This is what is depicted in Ps.91:4, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.”

Sometimes it is best to hide. One does not always need to take an offensive approach to confronting an enemy. One tactic in battle is to hide, to seek refuge and where better than under the outstretched arms of our God. Part of our training in war and in battle is discerning when to pull back and seek refuge. This is not a retreat of cowardice but of wisdom. If we don’t know what to do, it is better to hide ourselves and wait upon the Lord for his instruction and help than to stand up to the enemy, only to find out that we are all alone.