God is Our Refuge

The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

Joshua 20:1-3

God told Joshua that he must speak to the children of Israel and appoint cities of refuge so that a person who accidently kills someone may run there; it was to be a city of refuge. Today, we may not have a physical city of refuge that we can run to if we are in trouble, however we can run to God in prayer because:

1. God is our Refuge

The Bible tells us that God is our refuge and strength. He is our refuge because He gives us hope, our shelter, and we can trust Him and run to Him when we are in trouble:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

2. God is our Fortress

A fortress is a strong defence, a stronghold and that is what God is to His children:

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.

Psalm 91:2

God is our Deliverer 

God is our Saviour, deliverer and preserver. He has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13):

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in Whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:2

Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank You that You are my refuge and strength, and a very present help in trouble. Help me to not be afraid but to trust You completely in Jesus name.

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After war, there is rest

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war

Joshua 11:23

We have seen from the past few months that Joshua and the Children of Israel did not enter into the Promised Land by sitting around and folding their arms. They had to fight in order to dispossess the land of the former inhabitants whom God had said they should drive out. However after he took the whole land and gave it as an inheritance to Israel, the land rested from war. This teaches us a number of important lessons about our own Christian journey:

1. We will have to fight in order to possess our possessions

The story of Joshua shows us that we must fight in order to possess all the possessions that God has already given us through His Word. We have to fight for our family, health, finances, ministry, businesses, career etc. We are freely given the gift of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, however in order for us to be able to enjoy all that Jesus Christ died to give us, including eternal life, we have to fight the good fight of faith:

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6:12

2. After the war, however there is rest

Joshua and the Children of Israel did not fight forever. Once they took the whole land, the land rested from war. You see, when you obey God, there is a place in Him where you no longer have to fight because when your enemies come against you, God will make them to scatter in seven different ways:

The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

Deuteronomy 28:7

3. We should strive to enter into the rest of The Lord

The land rested from war because Joshua obeyed God. Let us therefore strive to walk in obedience to the Word of God so that we too can enter into the rest of The Lord:

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:11 (NIV)

Prayer

Dear Father, I know Your Word says there is a time for war and a time for peace. Please give me strength to fight in the time of war so that I can enter into Your rest in Jesus name.

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God bless,

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