Refuge: God’s Invitation to Shelter, Stillness, and Strength

What comes to mind when you hear the word refuge?

A mountain cabin in a storm? A quiet chapel? A warm hug when the world feels too loud?

What is Refuge, Really?

According to the dictionary, refuge means:

“A condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.”(Oxford English Dictionary)

It’s safety. Shelter. A place you run to when everything else feels uncertain. But Scripture takes it a step further—it tells us that refuge isn’t just a place... it’s a Person - one we need more than ever in a weary world: God is our refuge.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in distress.”—Psalm 46:2 (Monday’s Responsorial Psalm)

This week’s Mass readings open with Psalm 46, and I don’t think that’s an accident. God is reminding us—right now, in the thick of whatever you’re carrying—that He Himself is the shelter. Not a place we run to, but a Person who holds us.

The Word That Anchored My Year

God gave me the word “refuge” as my word of the year.

I didn’t go looking for it—it came to me. At first, I started seeing images, like a baby kola bear clinging to it's momma's back and a toddler being held in his father's arms. Yesterday alone, I encountered the word "refuge" no less than 3 times. And as I sat with it, I realized it wasn’t just a comfort word. It was a call. A whispered invitation from God: Come rest in Me. Cling to me.

Run to me when you are scared, like a child runs to their parents.

So I started digging. What does Scripture say about refuge?

Found 47 Times in Scripture (and That’s Not Random)

The word “refuge” appears 47 times in the Bible [New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)]. Numbers make up the entire universe. I fully believe God is a mathematician. In Hebrew, each number corresponds to a letter, and each letter has meaning:

• 4 is Dalet (ד) — which means door. A passage. An entryway.

• 7 is Zayin (ז) — meaning sword, but also rest. It holds the tension of both protection and peace.

Put them together—47—and you get a beautiful symbol: A door into divine rest. A pathway to protection. An invitation to step into refuge.

That's God at work right there. Opening his loving arms to us.

(Sources: The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet by Rabbi Munk, Chabad.org, Hebrew4Christians.com)

God Doesn’t Just Give Refuge—He Is Refuge

In Monday’s Gospel (Matthew 9:18–26), a bleeding woman reaches out to Jesus. She doesn’t know what will happen—but she believes, deep down, that He’s where safety lives. And she’s right. She’s not just healed, she’s restored.

“Take heart, daughter. Your faith has saved you.” —Matthew 9:22

That’s what refuge does. It doesn't erase the storm, but it gives you a place to stand steady within it. It makes you whole in the midst of brokenness. It holds space for your trembling and your trust at the same time.

Taking Refuge in Real Life

So what does it actually look like to take refuge in God?

• Prayer: not fancy, just honest. Whisper “Help me” or “Be my refuge today.”

• Scripture: Read Psalm 46, Psalm 91, or Psalm 62 slowly. Out loud, if you feel like you need to hear it.

• The Sacraments: Confession and the Eucharist are soul-shelter. Real grace and real strength.

• Stillness: Carve out a small moment of silence—on a walk, in your car, before bed. Let Him be with you there.

• Silence: Sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament, pray or rest in sacred silence. Just enjoy the presence of Jesus.

You don’t have to fix it all. Only come to the door. He’ll meet you on the other side.