Today, we are on Psalm 5 and you can read it here. For all of us that have some familiarity with the life of King David, you know that he was a hunted man. Throughout the course of his life, he had a lot of enemies. In this Psalm, David reveals to us that he sees God as his refuge. David explains that he is in the daily habit of turning his worries over to God when he says, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” David finishes the Psalm by describing God as his protection in saying, “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

The idea of God being our refuge and protection may sound foreign. First off, how many people even perceive a need for protection? I mean, we aren’t hunted in the same way that David was. How many of us actually think that we even need God to be our refuge? In difficult times, this need may arise, but what about throughout the course of our everyday lives?

Whether or not we feel like we need protection and refuge has everything to do with the lens through which we see the world. In the Lord of the Rings, Sam asks Frodo an important question. He asks, “I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?” This is a pivotal question. How do you see the world around you? Is the world, in your eyes, simply a matter of handling daily needs, paying bills and trying to make a living? Do you see yourself as living in a story? Is there more to life than what meets the eye?

The Bible has a lot to say in answer to these and many other questions. I believe that we are all a part of a massive story. There is a protagonist and an antagonist. There are forces of good and forces of evil that operate outside of the realm of the seen world. When looking through that lens, it becomes abundantly obvious that we are each in need of refuge and protection. If however, life for you is simply a matter of cause and effect, dollars and cents and simple pragmatic concerns, I can’t imagine that you see much need for God to be your refuge.

Have you recently though about the lens through which you see your life? How would you articulate it? Do you believe you are part of a bigger story? I’d love to hear your thoughts.