April 11 Daily Devotional

God Our Refuge

the Rev. David Freeman

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe"
"Prov. 18:10.

Devotional

There is one safe place in this world, and only one. It is in God. Nothing in this world can be our support. Youth and strength soon fade. Health is a very perishable possession. Even the blessed gift of true friends can do but little for us. Often the most they can do is sympathize with us.

But in God how rich and secure are God's saints. It is not in some consideration or notion that they have a refuge, but the name of the Lord is their strong tower. The mighty God of Jacob is their refuge.

God, in all that He is in Himself is the object from which every grace and glory is derived. It is the perfections of God that are a refuge for the believer. Faith resorts to the God of those perfections.

There is one attribute of God that would deter us from running into the tower. It is His justice. Our sin arrests us before we enter into the stronghold.

The justice of God is our terror. We cannot but accede to it. All of God's wrath against the sinner is right. When we think of a being who can do wrong, we no longer think of God. He can do nothing unjust, arbitrary or hard. All the stripes we endure are stripes that are just.

Were God's justice all that we knew of Him there would be no refuge for man. He would be an outcast in a wilderness that is more horrible than death. The attribute of justice, viewed alone, gives no comfort and opens no stronghold to man, considered as a sinner.

But let the sinner keep looking heavenward. Justice is not apart from His other attributes. We see infinite love in Him. Justice no longer appals us, when it is satisfied in Christ. He bore our just wrath and curse upon the accursed tree. It is in Him our citadel becomes the love, the mercy, the grace, the long-suffering and fatherly compassion of our God.

(to be continued)

"Lift Up Your Heart" is a series of devotionals by the late Rev. David Freeman, an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church for most of his life. These devotionals, in fact, are part of the early history of our denomination. The first of them was published in The Presbyterian Guardian in 1935; the denomination now known as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church was officially formed in 1936. We believe that "the Word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8; see 1 Peter 1:25). Thus it is no surprise that meditations based on that Word have continued relevance today. Dr. Freeman's devotionals are proof of that fact.

David Freeman was a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.B., 1928; Th.M. , 1930) and of Dropsie Univiersity (Ph.D., 1951). He served as pastor at Grace (later New Covenant) Presbyterian Church (OPC), Philadelphia, PA (1936-1946), Knox Presbyterian Church (OPC), Philadelphia, PA (1949-1962), and Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC), Fall River, MA (1962-1967). He authored many articles and (along with his son, David H. Freeman) is the author of the book A Philosophical Study of Religion, which appeared in 1964. He went to be with the Lord in 1984.

There is one change from the way the daily devotional was handled in the past with John Skilton's Think On These Things: New devotionals for the new series appear on weekdays only (Monday through Saturday. It is suggested that you use your pastor's sermon text(s) as the basis for your mediations on the Lord's Day.

We trust that you will find these devotionals, once again made available seventy years after they first appeared, to be a personal help in your own Christian walk today!