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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for September 15, 2010
“My Refuge”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Over and over in the Psalms, God is referred to as a “refuge.”
Have you ever needed a refuge? Have you ever just felt battered and threatened and needed a safe place to run?
Have the cares of life ever just crashed down around you and you wished you could just run away and escape from it all?
Psalm 46:1 says that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Where do you run when you need a refuge?
When I was a little boy, my refuge was my mother. If I was hurt or sick, I ran to her. She didn’t necessarily solve every problem for me, but I knew I was in the presence of someone who loved me and who wanted the best for me.
As an adult, where do I run for refuge? Well I don’t mind telling you, I run to the Lord.
I could probably come up with hundreds of times when something about life slapped me upside the head and I went running to the Lord for refuge.
Have you ever been squeezed between a rock and a hard place? Have you ever felt like there was just no good solution for your situation, with compromise on one side and failure on the other?
I have, and when that happens, I run to the Lord for refuge.
Psalm 91:2 says, “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in Him will I trust.”
Throughout my Christian life I have had a regular prayer time. This makes it easy to run to the Lord as my refuge because I’m already in the habit of coming to Him.
James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
I often claim that promise as I begin to pray. I say, “Lord, I am drawing near to You right now, and I know that You are drawing near to me.”
That means, in a sense, you don’t have to run all the way to your Refuge. He will come to you.
In Jesus’ story of the prodigal son, the father ran out to meet the son. I think our Heavenly Father does the same. As we make a move to draw near to Him, He draws near to us.
David wrote in Psalm 9, “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
So how is the Lord my refuge?
First of all, I think it’s just knowing that He’s there, that I’m not alone in whatever I’m going through.
And I know that He’s up to something. I may not know what, I may not know how or when, but I believe and trust that God is up to something, and that knowledge is a refuge.
And knowing that He accepts me. Yes, He hates my sin, but He made a way through Jesus Christ for my sins to be forgiven. I come to Him in repentance and sorrow for my sin, and He accepts me. In fact, He welcomes me. I can come boldly to Him, and I do, just as a child caught in a downpour might boldly dash into a king’s palace to escape the rain. And not only does the King tolerate me as a mild curiosity . . . He loves me!
God is also my refuge through His Word. He gives wisdom and insight through the Scriptures which provide a mighty shelter for me in this mixed up world.
One of the great burdens of being adults in this life is having to provide for ourselves. Has a lack of money or a job, or a financial crisis ever made you wish for a refuge?
Well for me, God is my refuge, knowing that He is my provider, my “Jehovah Jireh.” I know that I have my part to play, and I am more than willing to dive in and do the work. I work with the attitude of Nehemiah – God Himself will provide; therefore we will arise and build.” Yes, I’ll work to provide for my family, but it’s a great comfort to know that, in the end, God is my Provider.
Another way God is my refuge is when it comes to protection. Yes, I will work to protect my family, but in the end, God must be my shield. I take the attitude of David – I will both lie down in peace, and sleep, for You alone make me dwell in safety.
It is a refuge to know that God’s way is the best way.
It’s a refuge knowing that I have a part in God’s family, in the body of Christ.
It’s a refuge to know that God has a calling on my life, and that He is bringing other people into my life.
No matter what is going on, no matter what storm is swirling around me, I find shelter and peace and rest and tranquility in my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer.
Second Samuel 22 says God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior.
So if life has knocked the wind out of you today, here is my advice. Draw near to God in prayer. Open yourself to Him and receive from Him.
That is what I do on a regular basis, and I have found great comfort in knowing that I can always run to my Lord and my King…my Refuge.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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