“He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4-5).

Psalm 147

S omewhat amused as I write today, I am opening a fresh, conveniently packaged Truth or Dare spearmint chewing gum box as I travel to do a student event at the University of Nebraska. As I read this amazing Psalm 147, which is fully devoted to God’s infinite, overshadowing greatness and sovereignty, the sliding lid of the gum package reads in large, bold letters, “Your game, your rules.” Hmm … Pondering that for a minute: “My game, my rules.” The gum’s not bad … but the philosophy? Tonight (as it is every night), as we present “The Cross” to the exuberant crowd of students, we will, by God’s continually overflowing, amazing grace, see hundreds of students coming to the cross with small, white cards on which they have written “confessions to God.” As we build the 12-foot cross, we will nail those cards to it in symbolism of Jesus’ blood covering the countless sins that have been entrusted to His forgiving heart.

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“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Psalm 118:9).

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Psalm 118

To a baby girl, it’s her mother’s arms.

To a mom, it’s being surrounded by a loving family.

To a musician, it’s a quiet, secluded room to write in.

To an artist, it’s a remote mountain waterfall.

To a lost lamb, it’s in the safekeeping of his shepherd.

To King David in his boyhood, it was the big, starry sky above. As a young man, it was an unknown, rocky cave hiding him safely from an angry King Saul. In his latter years, it was his walled city.

Refuge … it’s our safe place; it’s a Christian’s place of security, provision, and shelter.

Everybody needs a refuge. Without one, life can be a frightening experience.

In an ever deepening, intimate, abiding relationship with Jesus, a Christ-follower who stays in fellowship with “the Great Shepherd of the Sheep” is never without a refuge. Never!

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