Devotional Thoughts Based on the Glory to God Hymnal

Isaiah 25:4

There are times when we need to feel safe and to be in a safe place. We need refuge.

For the people in the time of Isaiah, exile, deportation, and persecution were realities. In Isaiah 25:4-5, life’s struggles were depicted with great clarity, and so was God’s care:

⁴ For you have been a refuge to the poor,
a refuge to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
⁵ the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
the song of the ruthless was stilled.

For people in our times, shelter is sought from the storms of life. And we do have a refuge. Pastor and hymn-writer Charles Wesley expressed our hope as such:

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide;
Oh, receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none,
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone,
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.

When we feel poor, helpless, put upon, we have a refuge in Jesus.

Prayer

Jesus, let me feel drawn to You at all times. Let me accept what You provide. As I need refuge for my soul today, let me find it in knowing You and Your love. Amen.