“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” —Psalm 62:8
What if the very thing promising you freedom is actually keeping you in bondage?
We all seek refuge somewhere. When life feels uncertain, painful, or uncomfortable, we instinctively look for something to steady us. Sometimes we run to God. Other times we run to self-protection.
Perhaps you’ve walked into a room and immediately felt out of place. Maybe a conversation shifted, someone overlooked you, or relationship felt strained. Sometimes our discomfort lingers long enough that we begin making agreements with it.
“If something doesn’t change, I’m never coming back.”
“I’ll never put myself in that position again.”
“I don’t need these people anyway.”
What began as a moment of discomfort quietly became a refuge of self-protection. And while those vows may feel like freedom, they often become the prisons that keep us bound.
I’ve been there. I’ve been the one more determined to protect myself than to trust God with my discomfort.
Seeking refuge in something other than God usually means we’re looking for immediate relief. Seeking refuge in God means entrusting ourselves to the One who remains steadfast even when the discomfort doesn’t immediately disappear.
When our refuge is God, we find safety, peace, and freedom.
In that same uncomfortable circumstance we may silently pray, “Lord, help me rest in Your presence right now.”
We may remember that our identity is secure in Christ. We may choose to be present rather than retreating inward, trust God’s nearness even when we feel awkward or unseen, or focus on loving and serving others instead of self-protection. We may also cling to a truth from Scripture, such as, “My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:8).
This shift often requires healing and renewed thinking. Perhaps that is where we must begin: first recognizing the lie that is binding us and then, if needed, seeking help to untangle it.
Friend, the goal isn’t to never feel uncomfortable. But the question is: when discomfort comes, where do we run first? What is our functional refuge?
These plummet lines from Charles Spurgeon’s sermon, Refuges of Lies, and What Will Become of Them, challenge us to examine the foundations upon which we build our lives. Let us honestly consider them and see where we fit in:
“Is Jesus Christ all in all to you? Do you rest on Him and on Him alone? If so, you are surely saved, but if not, you have made lies your refuge.”
Ask yourself, “Is Jesus enough to sustain me in this moment?”
“‘He that believes’ is the man whose soul is fixed on the sure foundation and therefore abides in peace.”
Ask yourself, “If Jesus is my source of peace, why am I not at peace here?”
“Have you faith in Jesus Christ? Do you believe the infallible Word of God and do you confide in His infallible Son? If you do this, heaven and earth shall pass away, but never shall your foundation be moved.”
Ask yourself, “Have I taken this circumstance to Jesus—prior to this moment—or have I made some other vow, excluding Him?”
“If our hope is sound, it is a holy, sanctifying hope which purges us from sin and breeds in us all that is true and good.”
Ask yourself, “Am I relying on Christ’s sanctifying work in me through this situation? What is He teaching me here? How am I meant to grow?”
“Build upon your Lord’s life, death, and resurrection—build upon God’s promises—build by the work of the Holy Spirit with faith, and you shall have the reward of eternal life.”
Ask yourself, “Have I accepted that life will not always feel easy and people will let me down. Yet the foundation of my life is the work of Christ. I do not live for earthly rewards, but ultimately, eternal rewards that come through the fruit of the Holy Spirit alone.
What lies have become a refuge in your life? What foundation are you building upon today?
The good news is that Jesus does not merely expose our false refuges, He invites us into a better one. We do not have to remain bound by fear, self-protection, or the vows we made in our pain. Christ is a refuge that never fails. He offers the peace, security, and freedom our souls long for.
“Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.” —Isaiah 28:16-17
