Havens of safety
You have put us to the test, God;
as silver is purified by fire,
so you have tested us.
You let us fall into a trap
and placed heavy burdens on our backs.
You let our enemies trample on us;
we went through fire and flood,
but now you have brought us to a place of safety. (verses 10-12)
Read Psalm 66:8-20
Where do you go when you feel battered and bruised, burdened and trampled? Where is your place of safety?
We all need these havens of respite where we can retreat for healing and re-creation. Often, though, people are reluctant to seek out places of safety. ‘I’m too busy. I don’t have time for such luxuries’, says one. ‘If I have to take time out, I feel like I’m a failure’, says another.
Yet, here are God’s people, thanking God for the place of safety he has brought them to. For them it is the promised land: the dirt, the earth, where they can settle and build and grow their food. This is their place of respite.
For us it might be the garden, television, footy, netball, a party, shopping, a book, the theatre, chatting. Whatever it is, thank God for it. Oh – and let’s not forget those extra-special places of safety: the times and places where we can be specially close to God. At church. In the quiet of our own devotions. Lying under a tree in the arms of Jesus.
Thank you, Lord God, for my havens of safety, especially those to which you bring me in Jesus. Amen.
by Bob Kempe, in ‘New Strength for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 1998)
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