It’s Monday, and I have a sneaky suspicion that most of
us wish it were not Monday (unless it’s your birthday today, or you have a hot
date tonight, or something like that). But fear not, for I’m of a mind to help
you find some sort of excitement in your Monday…the final Monday of February
this year (which, in case you were wondering, happens to be 2017).
What is that different excitement? This verse from the
book of Joel:
“The LORD’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from
Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the LORD will be a
refuge for His people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel.” –Joel 3:16
This verse speaks to us about the mighty love that God
has for His people (specifically in this verse, Israel, but also able to be
applied to the people of His Church as well). God’s mighty love for His people will
never fail, and it will never stop. He is the One who will cause the earth to
shake from the thunderous roar of His voice. When He brings judgement on the
earth (for this is the context of the verse) He will cause the world to see it.
And He will not spare those who have been careless when dealing with Him. However,
those who are His, He will protect. He will be a refuge for those who love Him,
and a fortress for those He calls His own.
What does this mean for us? Several things, in fact. It
means that we can know that we have a place to go to when the world around us
falling apart. We have refuge where we can be safe, and where we can be taken
care of.
This is a reference to one of the “Cities of Refuge”
that is mandated in the Old Testament. These cities were places where if you
accidentally killed someone, you could run to these cities and they would take
you in, protect you from the family of the one you killed (for they would have
the right to take your life), and let you stay there until your case could be
heard and ruled on. The picture is that when the time of judgment comes, we don’t
have to run to a city, because God is the one who will keep us, protect us, and
decide what to do with us. He is the Ruler and Judge.
But He is also our fortress. In Israel today there are a
number of places in the hills of the Judean wilderness that have fortresses
built on the hills or even in the hills. These were places that David would go
to hide from Saul, or that the Romans had built up (like Masada) where it would
be difficult for an attacking army to get at you. This is what God is also
calling Himself for His people…a place that they can go and be defended.
All of this, God does for His people…and that is what we
are. We are the sons and daughters of God. We are the ones whom God has called
to take the message of His love and goodness to the world. And sometimes that
world will try to chew us up and spit us out. And when that happens, we need to
run to our “refuge” and “fortress,” Who is God!
So this Monday, take stock in the fact that you are
loved by God, and that you have a place to run when you are feeling attacked.
Run to the refuge and safety of your God!
Think about that today! And God bless you!
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