EXPERIENCE JESUS. REALLY: REFUGE

Our first lesson in the Lent study, Experiencing Jesus. Really, by John Eldredge highlighted that we are living in a “punishing” time for our souls.  We are being drained by the pace of life, the onslaught of technology, and our desire for certainty. In short, we are “disciples of the internet.” This study is designed to regain the power and confidence of being disciples of Jesus. We encourage you to join us in this study in order to experience a renewal of Jesus in your heart.  This week, the sermon is Refuge. It is based on Psalm 91. What is our refuge? Another way to ask this question: Where do we place our hope?  We might automatically respond, “We put our hope in God.” We do, and we don’t!  We struggle with being truly dependent upon God until there is a crisis, and then we are drawn back to the support of our faith.  But what if we build our strength by recognizing our dependence on God routinely? How does this work? Psalm 91 is David’s declaration of worship and dependence upon God. It is filled with joy, strength, and hope. David recognized the power of having the living God as his refuge, not just before a battle but when he started his day! This was not just for King David, but it is for every believer through Jesus Christ! We pray that you will experience the joy, hope, and power of our Lord as you seek to trust him with all of your problems, all of your hopes, but most of all, all of your life.   

Psalm 91: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. ⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. ⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. ⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, ¹⁰ no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. ¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; ¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. ¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. ¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (NIV)