our daily bread

[Dexu Xia]

Our Safe Place

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2

My very first job was at a fast-food restaurant. One Saturday evening, a guy kept hanging around, asking when I got out of work. It made me feel uneasy. As the hour grew later, he ordered fries, then a drink, so the manager wouldn’t kick him out. Though I didn’t live far, I was scared to walk home alone through a couple of dark parking lots and a stretch through a sandy field. Finally, at midnight, I went in the office to make a phone call.

And the person who answered—my dad—without a second thought got out of a warm bed and five minutes later was there to take me home.

The kind of certainty I had that my dad would come to help me that night reminds me of the assurance we read about in Psalm 91. Our Father in heaven is always with us, protecting and caring for us when we are confused or afraid or in need. He declares: “When they call on me, I will answer” (Psalm 91:15 nlt). He is not just a place we can run to for safety. He is our shelter (v. 1). He is the Rock we can cling to for refuge (v. 2).

In times of fear, danger, or uncertainty, we can trust God’s promise that when we call on Him, He will hear and be with us in our trouble (vv. 14–15). God is our safe place.

Dear Father, thank You for being my Rock and my safe place.

The living God will always be our shelter

安全的居所

我要论到耶和华说：“祂是我的避难所，是我的山寨，是我的上帝，是我所倚靠的。”-诗篇91篇2节

我的第一份工作是在一间速食餐厅。某个星期六傍晚，有个男人一直在附近闲晃，又问我什么时候下班。这让我感到不安。随着时间越来越晚，他先点了薯条，然后又点了一杯饮料，这样经理就不会请他离开。虽然我家不是很远，但因必须行经好几个黑暗的停车场和一大片沙地，所以我实在不敢独自走路回家。最后，在半夜十二点，我去办公室打了个电话。

接电话的是爸爸，他不假思索就离开了温暖的床，五分钟之后他就出现在餐厅，带我回家。

在那个深夜，我确信爸爸会来帮助我，这种把握让我想起我们从诗篇91篇所得着的确据。我们的天父时时与我们同在，当我们疑惑、害怕或有需要时，祂会保护、照顾我们。祂宣告说：“他若求告我，我就应允他”（诗篇91篇15节）。上帝是我们安全的居所，是我们的隐密处（1节），是我们的磐石，祂是我们可以投靠的避难所（2节）。

我们在恐惧、危险，或不确定之中，可以相信上帝的应许，当我们求告祂，祂必会垂听，并在急难中与我们同在（14-15节）。上帝是你我安全的居所。

亲爱的天父，谢谢祢，
因祢是我的磐石，是我安全的居所。

永活的上帝永远是我们的避难所