"Seventy"

Today my life hit seventy,

And I don’t mean miles per hour,

But on this day those years ago,

By God’s own grace and power,

I was born into this world,

In good old Alabam,

And ‘cause of God’s own faithfulness,

I am the man I am.

Because I had a second birth,

By faith in grace alone,

And that gave to me a whole new life,

His light to my heart shone.

Born once they say a man dies twice,

And death will separate,

That man from One who died to save,

But need not be his fate.

Born twice they say a man dies once,

And when his days are through,

He enters heaven free indeed,

Because God’s grace he knew.

And I have known it all these years,

Through thick, and yes, through thin,

In ups and downs and deep heartbreaks,

And struggles with my sin.

But in it all and through it all,

The Lord was refuge strong,

He loved me when I followed Him,

And loved me through my wrong.

His love would never let me go,

Though sometimes I complained,

And wondered why He bothered,

Kept seeking, called my name.

But that’s the way my Savior is,

A Shepherd for the sheep,

And I still belong to Him,

Because I’m His to keep.

His grip of love, it covers me,

In ways I can’t describe,

But I am living thankfully,

In that forgiven tribe,

Of those who know His rescue,

And His faithfulness and strength,

It’s all because of His great love,

It’s depth and width and length.

So go ahead and mock the Lord,

And say it is not true,

I will not judge or criticize,

Or argue it with you.

But I will say for me and mine,

We make this solemn choice,

That we will follow Him who died,

And live to hear His voice.

Seventy and thirty more,

That’s what I pray will be,

But even if I go today,

I know His face I’ll see.
”This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge…” (Psalm 91:2, NLT)

Someone who says they don’t need “refuge” is not being honest. We need it desperately, and more so because of our crazy, high-paced, frenetic lives. Where and how do we unplug without falling into some kind of harmful, unhealthy habit we should have left behind long ago? Good question, don’t you think? Some medicate with food, drugs, alcohol, toys, sex, etc., etc. But the real answer is in the One who knows us best, loves us the most, and is always available to grace us with protection and relief. He truly is our “place of safety” as the Psalmist said. Believe it. Live it. Declare it.

Lord, help us find refuge in You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jack Sorenson, jacksorensonfineart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Jack, and God bless you.