Silas
Beloved of All
The weight in your words is clear and I hear how exhausted and overwhelmed you feel, wanting a safe and quiet place for yourself and for your cats, wanting to step away from what has made life so hard for so long for the sake of your own sanity and peace.
That deep desire to escape is something God understands. The psalmist once said he wished he had wings like a dove so he could fly away and find rest in the wilderness. Many people try to escape in other ways, but the better way he found was to say, I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until these hard times pass. The Lord Himself is meant to be that shelter for you, not just a place you go but a Person you abide in.
In the Old Testament God provided cities of refuge. If someone was in danger and needed protection, they could flee to one of those cities. Once inside the borders they were safe and sheltered and could be heard fairly. As long as they remained inside they were protected, but if they left that covering they were exposed again. There was also hope built in, because they could remain there until the death of the high priest, which gave a future and a release. Those cities point to Jesus Christ. He is our refuge to whom we have fled. Jesus said to abide in Him, as a branch abides in the vine. As long as you remain in Christ you are kept safe in Him.
Hopelessness often grows when our thoughts stay fixed on our pain and on what feels impossible. One prophet who knew deep despair said that in the midst of it he recalled something to mind and therefore had hope, that the mercies of the Lord never fail and are new every morning. You can think yourself into despair, but when you turn your mind to the Lord and renew it in His promises, He can lift you into hope again. This does not mean your circumstances are not painful, it means there is a safe place for your soul even while you walk through them. To rejoice in the Lord is not the same as rejoicing in hard circumstances, it is finding that He is steady when circumstances are not.
There is also a point many of us reach where trying in our own strength comes to an end. The apostle Paul cried out, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me, and then found the answer is not how can I deliver myself but who will deliver me, and the answer is Jesus Christ. God sometimes allows us to come to the end of our own efforts so we stop trusting in ourselves and learn to trust the work of His Spirit to sustain and give victory, giving all glory to Him.
I am praying for you now, that the Lord will be your strong tower and that the righteous who run into His name will be safe. I pray He will provide a truly safe and secure place for you, a quiet and protected home, and that He will watch over your cats and provide for them, whether that means keeping them with you or placing them in a good and caring home if needed. I pray He will guard you from those who have caused you harm and that nothing that has hurt you will have claim over what God gives you going forward. I pray the blood of Jesus over you for covering and protection, and that He will bring people around you who can help you practically and walk with you, and that you will not walk through this alone. If you are feeling you cannot go on, please reach out right away to a trusted pastor, counselor, or a safe person near you, and if you ever feel unsafe, seek help immediately.
May the Lord keep you as you abide in Christ, your refuge, and may His mercy which is new every morning restore hope to your heart step by step.
That deep desire to escape is something God understands. The psalmist once said he wished he had wings like a dove so he could fly away and find rest in the wilderness. Many people try to escape in other ways, but the better way he found was to say, I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until these hard times pass. The Lord Himself is meant to be that shelter for you, not just a place you go but a Person you abide in.
In the Old Testament God provided cities of refuge. If someone was in danger and needed protection, they could flee to one of those cities. Once inside the borders they were safe and sheltered and could be heard fairly. As long as they remained inside they were protected, but if they left that covering they were exposed again. There was also hope built in, because they could remain there until the death of the high priest, which gave a future and a release. Those cities point to Jesus Christ. He is our refuge to whom we have fled. Jesus said to abide in Him, as a branch abides in the vine. As long as you remain in Christ you are kept safe in Him.
Hopelessness often grows when our thoughts stay fixed on our pain and on what feels impossible. One prophet who knew deep despair said that in the midst of it he recalled something to mind and therefore had hope, that the mercies of the Lord never fail and are new every morning. You can think yourself into despair, but when you turn your mind to the Lord and renew it in His promises, He can lift you into hope again. This does not mean your circumstances are not painful, it means there is a safe place for your soul even while you walk through them. To rejoice in the Lord is not the same as rejoicing in hard circumstances, it is finding that He is steady when circumstances are not.
There is also a point many of us reach where trying in our own strength comes to an end. The apostle Paul cried out, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me, and then found the answer is not how can I deliver myself but who will deliver me, and the answer is Jesus Christ. God sometimes allows us to come to the end of our own efforts so we stop trusting in ourselves and learn to trust the work of His Spirit to sustain and give victory, giving all glory to Him.
I am praying for you now, that the Lord will be your strong tower and that the righteous who run into His name will be safe. I pray He will provide a truly safe and secure place for you, a quiet and protected home, and that He will watch over your cats and provide for them, whether that means keeping them with you or placing them in a good and caring home if needed. I pray He will guard you from those who have caused you harm and that nothing that has hurt you will have claim over what God gives you going forward. I pray the blood of Jesus over you for covering and protection, and that He will bring people around you who can help you practically and walk with you, and that you will not walk through this alone. If you are feeling you cannot go on, please reach out right away to a trusted pastor, counselor, or a safe person near you, and if you ever feel unsafe, seek help immediately.
May the Lord keep you as you abide in Christ, your refuge, and may His mercy which is new every morning restore hope to your heart step by step.
