God is Our Refuge

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” Psalm 46:1. Refuge is protection or shelter. In Joshua 2, Joshua sent two spies into Jericho to make their plan of attack. The spies found refuge in an unlikely source, in the home of a harlot named Rahab. When the King of Jericho sent word to Rahab to bring out the spies, she covers for them and says they already left when in fact she had hidden them in the stalks of flax on the roof.

We find in Joshua 2:9-11 that Rahab knew the Lord had given Jericho to the Israelites and it was only a matter of time before the inhabitants would be destroyed. The testimonies of the Lord protecting and the victories He had given His people went before them and the people of Jericho knew what they were about to face.

Instead of opposing God, Rahab made a choice to align herself with God. She realized that the God of the Israelites was the one true God; Joshua 2:11b “for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” Because Rahab surrendered her life to the Lord and became a refuge for the spies, later God provided Rahab and her family refuge by protecting them when the Israelites overtook Jericho (Joshua 6:22-25). Rahab became one of God’s people and lived with the Israelites and is recorded in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).

This biblical story depicts God’s powerful grace in action by being our refuge. Rahab was given an opportunity to surrender to the one true God and because she made this choice, her life forever changed. God’s refuge may not come the way we think, but His word will not fail and He will be our refuge and strength when we put our trust in Him as our Savior.

Pastor Emily Christenson