Run to Him

By Scott Armstrong

“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me” (Psalm 31:1-2 NIVUK).

(Read Psalm 31:1-5, 19-24)

A while back Chevrolet trucks had a catchy slogan.  They would show some huge 4×4 pickup sliding through mud or towing a trailer three times its size.  Then the song would come on and some guy with a gruff voice would say, “Chevy: Like a Rock.”

Why’d they choose that slogan? Obviously, a rock invokes an image of strength and toughness. So do the words “refuge” and “fortress,” which (along with “rock”) are used several times in the verses we just read. We know that every psalm is a prayer, and this one is no different. David apparently is trying to paint a picture of his God as something more than a flower blown by the wind.

We don’t know exactly what David was going through when he prayed this prayer.  But his words are powerful: “In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge…Be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me” (vv. 1-2).  When David can’t depend on anyone else, he can depend on his God, who is steady, unwavering.  Who can he run to when it seems like the world is running after him? His Lord, of course.

We’ve been in situations like that before, right? Situations where we needed the one constant, the tower, the fortress that we can run to and be safe.  I am writing this right now miles away from you. Just as I don’t know what David was going through, I have no idea what you are going through today.  But hear this: God is your refuge.  HE will not let you down.  HE is a safe place.

Read these verses again slowly.  Pray them this time; pray the same prayer that David prayed 3 millennia ago.  And, most importantly, believe the words you’re saying.  They have always proven true.