The Lord Jesus is the refuge of the believer.  In Luke 11:1, 2 He teaches the disciples to pray to the                Father.  We might sometimes call God the Father but we need to meditate on this relationship, not just repeat the word.  There is a reason why God is the Father of the believer.

 

We have a place of safety, of refuge, from God’s wrath, where we truly safe because God has poured out His wrath on His Son.  In Matthew 3:7, 8  John the Baptist rebukes the Pharisees and                Sadducees who want to receive baptism but do not have God as their Father.  They have not come to God through repentance and faith in Christ.  The Lord Jesus is the One who saves from wrath, I Thessalonians 1:10.  The believer is the one who has fled for refuge to Christ Himself, Hebrews 6:18.  They have entered the ark of safety, as Noah, which is Christ, Hebrews 11:7.

 

Psalm 62:8  Because of who the Lord Jesus is for us, we have a place where we are not only safe but taken care and provided for.  The refuge is not only by means of Christ but with Christ.  He is our Shepherd, I Peter 2:25.  In this place of refuge, Paul pleaded with the Lord about the thorn in his flesh, II Corinthians 12:7, 8.  The believer must likewise come to Christ to plead for those things he needs.

 

Often when we are coming to the Lord in prayer, our greatest need is for wisdom.  Christ is that for the believer, not only wisdom for salvation but for every situation he finds himself in, I Corinthians 1:30.  Is He our wisdom or do we seek to manipulate the events of life to achieve what we want?  We must seek Him as our wisdom and refuge in all situations.

 

All of this is implied when the Lord Jesus exhorts us to pray “Father” – that we come into this place of safety provided by the blood of Christ.  This is the heart of the Christian life – prayer that takes   us into this refuge.  We must center our lives in this place of refuge, where we are built up, where             God hears prayer, where spiritual change occurs.