This morning, I finished the book of Numbers. I found myself so struck once again about the cities of refuge designed by God for people to flee for protection. I began to think of the times in scripture I see that word “refuge.”
I turn to Psalm 45 and see how the writer proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” I love seeing God as a my refuge, and I Iove the desperation and urgency of running to Him as my refuge, just like the people in the book of Numbers ran to their cities of refuge. I immediately think of Proverbs 18:10 where we learn that “the name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
Here I go! I’m running to God!
There’s actually lots of running to God in the Bible. In the book of Mark, for example, we read that “as soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him” (9:15). When we see Jesus, the response is this:
Run to Him.
We run to God in prayer, in our Bible reading, and in our worship. We run to God in our fellowship, in our tithing, and in our surrender. We run to God and throw ourselves completely at His feet. Picture it.
But I end my time with God this morning thinking of the time God runs to us. In Luke 15:20, there’s more running, but it’s a picture of God: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
The incarnation is God running to us to rescue us and forever provide the refuge we need. So we run to the One who is also running to us. May we meet Him and be caught up in His great love and protection today.