Finding Refuge 避难所
Dexu Xia
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm. Isaiah 25:4
My wife and I once stayed in a lovely old seaside hotel with large sash windows and thick stone walls. One afternoon, a storm ripped through the region, churning up the sea and pounding our windows like angry fists on a door. Yet we were at peace. Those walls were so strong, and the hotel’s foundations so solid! While storms raged outside, our room was a refuge.
Refuge is an important theme in Scripture, starting with God Himself. “You have been a refuge for the poor,” Isaiah says of God, “a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm” (Isaiah 25:4). In addition, refuge is something God’s people were and are to provide, whether through Israel’s ancient cities of refuge (Numbers 35:6) or by offering hospitality to “foreigners” in need (Deuteronomy 10:19). These same principles can guide us today when humanitarian crises hit our world. In such times, we pray that the God of refuge would use us, His people, to help the vulnerable find safety.
The storm that hit our hotel was gone the following morning, leaving us with a calm sea and a warm sun that made the seagulls glow. It’s an image I hold on to as I think of those facing natural disasters or fleeing “ruthless” regimes (Isaiah 25:4): that the God of refuge would empower us to help them find safety now and a brighter tomorrow.
When have you taken “refuge” in God or found it through His people? How can you play a part in helping those facing a crisis today?
God of refuge, please empower me, Your child, to help the needy find refuge and hope.
祢就作贫穷人的保障，作困乏人急难中的保障，作躲暴风之处。—以赛亚书25章4节
我和妻子曾入住一间古朴的海滨旅馆，有巨大的推拉窗和厚实的石墙。一天下午，暴风雨席卷旅馆的所在地，使海水翻腾，风雨击打着窗户，仿佛愤怒捶门的拳头一般。但我们却平静淡定，因为旅馆的石墙非常坚硬，地基也十分稳固！外头虽是狂风暴雨，但我们的房间却是个避难所。
避难所是圣经中一个重要的主题，而且上帝本身就是避难所，正如以赛亚书25章4节说，上帝“作贫穷人的保障，作困乏人急难中的保障，作躲暴风之处”。此外，上帝也要祂的百姓为人提供避难所，例如在古以色列时设立逃城（民数记35章6节），或慷慨接待困乏的寄居者（申命记10章19节）。当世界各地出现人道危机时，这些相同的原则依然适用。在艰难的时刻，我们可以祈求那位提供庇护的上帝，使用我们这些属祂的百姓，帮助脆弱的人找到避难所。
第二天早晨，侵袭旅馆的暴风雨已经消失无踪，海滨一片风平浪静，和煦的阳光照得海鸥闪闪发光。每当我想起那些遭遇自然灾害或逃离暴政逼迫的人（以赛亚书25章4节），就会谨记这个画面。因为这提醒我，提供庇护的上帝会赐给我们力量去帮助这些受苦的人，让他们现在就找到避难所，并拥有灿烂的明天。
你可曾在上帝里面或透过基督徒而得庇护？
今天，你如何与别人一起帮助那些正遭遇危机的人？
提供保障的上帝啊，求祢赐给孩子力量，使我能帮助困苦的人得着庇护和盼望