Refuge
By Tracy Smith
“The Lord is my rock, my
fortress, and my Savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my
shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”
Psalm 18:2 (NIV)
As I
reflect on the past few years, an aspect of God has been very prevalent in my
life - - “God as my refuge.”
When I
was 17, I was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While it was
good to have a name/reason for the intrusive thoughts and behaviors that had
plagued me for the past eight years, it was also scary, since there is no
“cure” for OCD… only management.
Through
the years, the symptoms have waxed and waned. Sometimes the OCD is only there
in the background and not interfering with my life, and sometimes it is there
24/7, pounding at me mercilessly.
Early
in 2011, I was asked to speak to a group of women about my OCD - - what it had
taught me about God. That was a frightening thing for me as OCD is
not something that I have shared about easily, so very few people in my world
were aware that I had it. However, I had been praying for years for God to use
my OCD in some way for good and for Him, so I knew my answer had to be
“yes.”
Immediately
after saying “yes,” the spiritual warfare hit and my OCD symptoms skyrocketed
into “very interfering” territory. In the months that followed, I learned that
I could always count on God to be the refuge and place of safety that David
wrote about in Psalm 18. I was able to wield the tools in my spiritual armor
(Ephesians 6:10-18) more effectively than ever before. I had true friends I
could talk to and a mentor/friend who prayed me through some of my most
difficult days. I have a family that loves me enough to tell me the truth even
when it's hard to hear. God gave me just what I needed (in so many ways), so
while the storm raged around me, I was able to be anchored to Him. Isn't it
just like our God to give me a new lesson to share with others?
And
now, as I prepare to speak again in March, the above paragraph applies. Will I
remember the lessons learned in 2011 and seek God as my refuge and make sure I
“suit up” with my spiritual armor daily?
With
the Christmas season ending and the new year
beginning, I am so thankful that our Lord chose to become human and that
His sacrifice provided a way for restoration of the relationship between God
and us. God as my refuge - - I wonder what aspect of God will be revealed to me
in 2016?
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What attribute of God have you seen most clearly in your own life this past
year?
2.
What can you do to be ready for what He’ll show you in this upcoming
year?
FURTHER
READING:
Along
with being a wife and mother to two teenage sons, Tracy is a ministry assistant
at Oakwood, serves on the Women’s Ministry Special Events Team and works with a
great group of Junior High girls.
