In what way is God our refuge?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

A refuge is a place of shelter and strength from a storm. Being our refuge means that God is both near and strong. God is our “refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1). To say God is our refuge means He is our shelter, strength, and safe place in every kind of trouble and that He strengthens us in every difficulty. God strengthened many Old Testament figures, such as David and Elijah, in their times of need (1 Samuel 30:6; 1 Kings 19:7-8). The Bible describes God as a stronghold who protects His people and empowers them to endure life’s storms. Though He may not remove every hardship, God provides strength to stand through it and sustains us by His Spirit (Jeremiah 20:11). Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit each play a role in this refuge—offering rest, interceding in our weakness, and securing us eternally (Romans 8:26). Because God is our refuge, we can face fear, suffering, and uncertainty with confidence in His constant presence and care.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Psalm 46:1 states, “God is our refuge and strength, a very ready help in trouble.” A refuge is a safe place. For example, Isaiah referred to a future (prophetic) refuge as a place where “There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain” (Isaiah 4:6).Psalm 46 calls God a refuge, metaphorically saying that God actively protects us.
• The psalmist uses natural disasters as metaphors for hostile nations to show that God is a powerful refuge, so strong that His people need not fear even the most chaotic threats (Psalm 46:2–3, 6, 9–10).
• God is not only a refuge but also our strength—a strong defense His people run to for safety. Proverbs 18:10 describes Him as a “strong tower” that protects the righteous.
• Isaiah 25:4 echoes the same truth: “For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall” .” The metaphor of storm and heat emphasize life’s pressures, particularly from God’s enemies, and God’s sheltering presence.
• David wrote in Psalm 28:7, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.” A “shield” protects the one behind it. David’s life was often under attack by friends (Psalm 41:9), his children (2 Samuel 14:13–14), and enemies (Psalm 3:1). Even though he was a mighty king, he well understood what it meant to run to God for refuge (Psalm 18:2).
• Isaiah 40:29 shows that God not only shelters the weary but also gives them strength and renewal, even in times of exile and hardship.
• Habakkuk closes his prophecy with the declaration, “God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places” (Habakkuk 3:19). Even as Habakkuk anticipates ruin, he affirms God will give him sure footing. God does not always remove hardship, but He gives the strength to stand through it.
• Nahum 1:7 writes that God is good because He is “a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.” God is not an indiscriminate refuge. Rather, His people (those He knows) are the ones who find protection from Him.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Christ offers rest, not by removing burdens but by bearing them.
• Paul knew well what it meant to be burdened. The apostle faced relentless trials, including imprisonment, beatings, shipwrecks, and betrayal. However, despite all of that, he could write, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). He was not saying that he could accomplish anything he wanted but that the “the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need”” (Philippians 4:12) was knowing that God was His refuge.
• The author of Hebrews invites all believers to confidently “draw near to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of our need” (Hebrews 4:16). God is a nearby refuge who is always available even in our worst moments.
• The Spirit acts as a refuge within us—sustaining our faith when we feel weakest and praying for us moment by moment (Romans 8:26).
• Jesus offers eternal security in God. He said, “I give [believers] eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:28). God’s hand is the believer’s refuge—no one can open His hand and remove us (c.f., Romans 8:31–39).
• Because no one can take us from God’s hand, believers are to cast all our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7b). God is not an impartial refuge like a stone tower, but He protects because He deeply cares for His people and wants to keep them safe.
• Not only does God provide shelter during life’s problems, but He also specifically shelters them from Satan. Second Thessalonians 3:3 says, “the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

God is a refuge and strength for His people, protecting them and helping them to make it through life’s problems, all the while growing more Christlike.

Through fear, suffering, and weaknesses, we are to turn to God first. He is not a “last resort” refuge, but the first place we should go. We do that through prayer, reading His word, attending church, and fellowshipping with other believers. Through all of these means, God strengthens us and protects us.

A blessing of knowing that God is our refuge is that we don’t need to have all the answers. Our confidence to get through life is not in ourselves, but in the One who never changes. God is not a distant protector, but an ever-present refuge.

In a world that seeks comfort, believers find peace not in the absence of trouble, but in the presence of God. He is a refuge when life collapses. He is strength when we have none left. He is magnified when we are weak. Because He is our refuge, as we hide in Him, we can face every trial confidently.

UNDERSTAND

• God is our shelter and strength who protects us from life’s storms and gives us the power to endure them.
• God’s refuge is personal and present.
• The Father, Son, and Spirit each provide refuge.

REFLECT

• How do you respond emotionally and spiritually when life feels unsafe or uncertain, and what role does God's refuge play in that response?
• What past experiences have shown you the reality of God as your strength and shelter?
• How does trusting God as your refuge shape how you deal with fear, stress, or weakness?

ENGAGE

• What do the different metaphors for God’s refuge in Scripture reveal about His character and how we relate to Him?
• How can we help one another run to God as our first refuge rather than a last resort?
• How does the idea of God as our refuge challenge common notions about strength, independence, or control?