The Place I Run To…

There is so much going on in the world today. Amid everything happening, many voices are expressing a wide range of opinions and political views. Additionally, there is no shortage of false prophets operating in Christian spaces, which adds to the confusion of the times. In a world that often feels chaotic and confusing, those who place their hope, confidence, and trust in the Lord do not have to feel lost. There is stability in the Lord Jesus Christ.  

I love now the Amplified version of Ephesians 4:14 reads, “So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit].”

When I read this verse, I can almost imagine a ship in the middle of a stormy sea, being tossed in multiple directions. I think about what it would feel like to be on that ship—experiencing uncertainty and chaos. The ground beneath your feet feels unsteady, and you have the impression that the bottom could drop out at any moment. Just when you manage to find a steady stance, another wave hits and knocks you down.

You may think you’re being guided in the right direction during the storm, only to realize that you’ve been misled, and you’re actually heading the wrong way. This reflects the constant challenges posed by different teachings—“every wind of doctrine.” It’s no secret, and I will be clear about it: there is a doctrinal issue in many so-called Christian spaces today.

If you do not open your Bible, read it, and cultivate a personal prayer life, you will be tossed about by every new idea or teaching. Consequently, you will lack stability and feel overwhelmed, unsure of what to do or who to trust. But there is an anchor for your soul.

“This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells],” (Hebrews 6:19 AMP)

Where do I turn when the world around me feels so chaotic and uncertain? Where can I find the peace of God? I run to my secret place.

Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

    my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you

    from the fowler’s snare

    and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,

    nor the arrow that flies by day,

  nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

    nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

    ten thousand at your right hand,

    but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes

    and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

    and you make the Most High your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you,

    no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;

    I will be with him in trouble,

    I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

    and show him my salvation.”

My secret place is found in prayer in the presence of God. When your heart is overwhelmed, run to the rock. (Psalm 62:2)