Please be aware that this article mentions circumstances that some readers may find distressing. Please take care.
What do you do when you feel afraid? Fear is a powerful emotion; it’s hard to ignore. You can feel fear throughout your whole body. Your heart rate rises, your breathing becomes shallow, you feel knots in your stomach, or you freeze and have trouble moving. When I’m afraid, I want to curl up into a tiny ball in a warm and cosy spot.
The Bible often speaks of fear. It offers encouragements of what to do when this emotion raises its head. Here’s one example:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1
What’s the encouragement? To look to the Lord and remember what he is like.
I read this Psalm recently and was reminded of what I know to be true of our great God: he sheds light onto our world that is often dark and unpredictable. He is my Lord and Saviour, and he is my rock when life seems shaky, and I feel weak and vulnerable.
Another Psalmist, Asaph, tells his readers what he does when his life seems shaky and perplexing:
‘I have made the Lord God my refuge’
Psalm 73:28
It’s good to find a refuge when we are afraid. A refuge – a place of physical safety and a place of spiritual security.
There are many word pictures in the Bible that help us understand what a refuge looks like – under the wings of an eagle; being held safe in loving arms; comforted like a child at a mother’s breast, so tender and secure. These are the places we want to flee to and find when we face a situation that is scary and overwhelming.
In recent weeks, events in my own life have alerted me to two particular groups of people in need of refuge. The first group are families who have children in a major hospital for long term care, but who live far away in a regional area and have no family or friends nearby. Ronald McDonald House exists to provide safe accommodation for families in this situation, and members of our own family have been blessed by this facility. Our granddaughter spent many weeks in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and our daughter-in-law was provided with a room at the Ronald McDonald House on the hospital grounds.
It was like a home away from home. She had her own room, a lovely bushland view, an ensuite bathroom, and access to a well-equipped kitchen and comfortable spaces. There’s also an amazing playroom for children and outdoor space that is safe and functional. There are volunteers who clean the kitchen and public spaces and others who provide dinner two nights a week. There is always a volunteer on hand who can speak to you if you want. This space is provided at no cost, and families can stay as long as they need. It’s a refuge for families in distress, that provides care that is thoughtful, practical, and tender.
And the second group in need of refuge that has been on my mind? Babies born very prematurely. When our precious granddaughter was born at 28 weeks, she was put in a humidicrib, to try to imitate her mother’s womb as much as possible. It’s warm, she has a strip of fabric snuggling her, and there are these heart shaped pieces of fabric which took me a while to figure out their purpose. They are breast pads which the mother leaves beside the baby so she can smell her Mum. The parents have up to 4 hours of skin time with the baby and they are encouraged to talk to her as much as they want.
Both refuges keep these families and babies safe, secure, and comfortable as they face a time that is scary and stressful. A lot of thought has gone into how best to provide the care needed. I’ve found each gesture of tenderness very moving.
While in her humidicrib, I was able to sit next to my granddaughter and read her Psalm 27. Her parents are working their way through a book titled ‘In the Lord I take Refuge,’[1] reading a psalm and devotion to their daughter each day, and I was granted this privilege on this occasion.
The final verses are filled with hope:
‘I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.’
Psalm 27:13-14
As I read, my cherished granddaughter wriggled her arms and legs and responded to my voice. At the end, I prayed for her and watched as her little arms relaxed and she snuggled back into her little blanket and became still, calm, and quiet.
We wait for the Lord because he is our stronghold, our refuge. Not just for families in need and premature babies, but for all of us. There are days when our fears swamp us but there is comfort in knowing that God is strong and mighty, that he loves us and holds us. Remembering that our God is our helper and is with us can help soothe and calm us.
I’ve been listening to music for little people a lot recently. I’ve been helping care for our 18-month-old grandson while his Mum cares for his baby sister. We have a playlist we listen to in the car. It includes a beautiful Colin Buchannan song called ‘Be strong and courageous.’ One day, we listened to it five times! I’m not sure who found it more calming, him or me. Here are some of the lyrics:
‘Be strong and courageous.
The Lord of the Ages
Hold all his little ones safe by his side.
Be strong and courageous.
The Lord of the Ages
Holds all his little ones safe.
Do not fear the fire.
Do not fear the waters.
Do not fear the thunder.
Jesus has conquered them all.’
Then he lists lots of fears.
‘Do not fear the darkness.
Do not fear the sadness.
Do not fear the sickness.
Jesus has conquered them all.’[2]
We can add our own fears here, whatever they are.
Our beautiful granddaughter was well enough to go home with her parents and older brother when she reached full term in early August. She’s continued doing well, and we are still celebrating her life and the joy she brings to our family.
[1] In the Lord I take Refuge: 150 daily devotions through the Psalms by Dane C. Ortlund
[2] Be Strong and Courageous by Colin Buchannan
