“This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.” Psalm 91:2 (NLT)
This morning, I decided this needs to become my daily declaration. I have recently been in a season of such challenge and demand that I have forgotten the truth declared here. Specifically, I have forgotten the phrase immediately following the colon.
He alone is my refuge…
I need this daily declaration because I am prone to forget the truth and become untethered from the lover of my soul.
And lately, my soul has taken a beating. Both December and January have been hard. More challenges than usual. A flood of more demands, both physical and emotional. Hard seasons of caregiving on the health front — both for my husband and for my aging father. The pace has been draining.
When I find myself in a season like this one, I reflexively and unthinkingly return to “old man” coping strategies that rely far more on me and my abilities than relying on the Holy Spirit and His. I turn inward to problem solving to “get ahead” of the next looming issue. I worship at the idolatrous altar of people pleasing and performing to keep all the plates spinning and not creating pain for myself or others. I run to self-protection and pain avoidance instead of running to the LORD for refuge.
Seasons of relentless demands like this can flip a switch in me to an ugly, self-sufficient autopilot. I know I am not alone in this. The push to self-sufficiency is part of the human condition, and it is reinforced in this broken world that preaches pride and independence at every turn.
All the reliance on productivity and self-sufficiency blocks out deep communion with Christ and pursuit of His perspective and strength. In the face of unending demands and emotional drain, the soul can get strung out in self life.
That’s where I’ve been these past weeks. This season certainly has not been wholly without God. His mercies and graces have been abundant. I have spent times of refreshing with Him. I have seen and felt His presence. But if I am honest, I have not lived as though He alone is my refuge and my place of safety. I have lived as though things are all up to me.
That is “orphan living” at its finest. I recognize both the irony and the spiritual warfare at work. In November I published a devotional book called Fully Known, Fully Loved. The theme? Living as a beloved child of God instead of a like an orphan.
As I read this word in Psalm 91 this morning, I knew it was both a calling to confession as well as a deep comfort. I confess I have not been living as though God alone is my refuge; I have pressured myself to be all things to all my people, and there is very little refuge in that. But the declaration of Psalm 91:2 is also a comfort. God is my refuge. I don’t have to be my own strength or savior. And that is very good news indeed.
For me, creating a daily declaration means writing out the verse or truths on an index card for my desk or designing something in Canva I can print to put on the fridge or use as lock screen on my phone. I’ve done that with Psalm 91:2, and I’d love for you to have a copy.
I’ll post this verse where I can see it, and I will speak it aloud over myself daily until I find it to have lodged deeply into my heart. Reminding ourselves of truth is a powerful tool in the battle against the loud voices, skewed lenses, and lies we face that seek to draw us away from experiencing the love of Christ. For a whole month’s worth of truth, I invite you to read my latest devotional. You can get a copy here.