ON THE VANGUARD

SAFE!
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1

Growing up I remember always being excited to see my cousins. Two of my cousins lived pretty close to us and as such, my brothers, sister, and these two spent many summer days together at grandma’s house. We always found fun things to do, like inventing our own slip ‘n slide out of trash bags and a hose or making our own obstacle course in the backyard. But not every day was full of invention. Other times were filled with more simple games, such as hide and go seek. Grandma’s backyard was a great place for this game. You could hide in or behind the shed, behind her taller garden crops, or behind the wood pile if you wanted to risk the spiders. However, no matter where you hid, you had to know where base was. Without this being defined you would not be safe, and without safety you knew you would be the next to count and look. In each game it appeared the base was a different thing, whether the patio post, the shed door, or grandma herself, but there was always a safe place and you wanted to get to it.
Isn’t life like a big game of hide and seek in a way? We spend time running around and hiding so as not to be found while the clock of life counts down. But then, when the counting is completed, where will we be found? Will we have the wisdom to run to the base of safety, or will we be caught by the counter before we are able to make it to safety? In reading Psalm 46: 1, we find that God is our safety base. It tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” If we look at trouble as the ticking down of the clock and God as the safety spot, then would it not make sense that we should indeed run to safety, run to God?
Psalm 49:5 adds more to this thought in asking, “Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me…” In playing hide and seek, there was always that fear that if I stepped too far from base I may not make it there in time when I was being looked for. At times the risk was too great, so I would hover close to the safety point so that when I was being pursued I was right there, able to touch without being tagged. I knew in those moments that I had nothing to worry. And why should I worry about the counting down if I know already that I am in the arms of safety?
Perhaps another way to understand this thought is in watching a toddler take its first steps. When my children were taking their first big steps on their own, my spouse and I would knell within arms distance of each other. We would cheer on our child, “Walk over to mommy,” or, “Go get daddy.” Sometimes carelessly and other times thoughtfully, one foot would inch out in front of the other and a step would be taken, then another, and another, until finally the child was in the safe arms of the other parent. Though trouble within these steps could be found in a trip, or moment of unbalanced weight, the truth was our children were safe in the refuge of our arms.
God longs to be that spot of safety in our life’s game of hide and seek. He desires to be the safe, strong hand that grips us and surrounds us should we begin to falter in our step. Our Heavenly Father declares Himself as our refuge and strength, our always present help. But the question then becomes, have we run to His safety, or from it? I urge you to consider in this game of hide and go seek, to ensure you are within the reach of safety so that when the counting is done you are found safe in His strong arms. Run to Jesus, the base of safety in life.