Words of Refuge

Words. I’ve grown rather tired of them this year. Everyone has words and most of them contradict, weigh down, and confuse. Are you weary of them, too?

As someone who has grown up loving words, this being burdened by them, is a new experience. I recently deleted several social media accounts because I could not take anymore untrue or unkindly spoken words. There were too many for one finite mind to sort through, and so, they had to go.

The crazy thing was that when I cut off many of the words on the internet that had been filling my mind every day, I found myself not avoiding words, but simply taking in new ones. I’ve read three full novels in three weeks (something I haven’t done in at least two years) and, even better, my time in the Word has greatly increased. So much so, that I finished my October reading plan this morning.

Words. We can’t escape them, but we can be guarded with them. We talk often about the care we should take in the words coming out of our mouths, but equally important are the words coming into our minds.

Not every word of this world proves true. A quick glance at Twitter will prove that point. The natural hearts of men are evil, and apart from the grace of God, so are many of their words. Filling our mind with the hatred, lies, selfishness, and sketchy interpretations of current events will weigh us down. Words have power, James warned us of that when he detailed the extent of impact our tongues had. “Look at the ships also: they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” (James 3:4-5)

So what do we do?

If you’re like me, the weight and weariness of this world’s words are a heavy burden on your back right now. You can’t ignore their presence as you wash the dishes, drive to work, and get ready for bed. They bounce around like a rubber ball from the prize box in the possession of a two year old on the tiled floor of a doctors office waiting room. We can’t stop their bounce and we’re exhausted.

Something has to change.

I think the remedy is an old one, and a sure one. “Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 30:5) We cannot silence the world’s words of weariness, so we must fill our minds and hearts with words we know are true and lasting.

It’s so easy to slip into the habit of man’s words before God’s words. I often use my phone as an alarm clock, and to reach for it and check the news or Instagram before reaching for my Bible is an easy thing to do. It feels harmless in the moment, and in truth, there’s nothing wrong with doing it. However, there’s something better that I could do.

The Psalmist writes, “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6) Pure. Those are the kind of words my soul craves and there is a book full of them, right at my fingertips.

I don’t think we can escape the weariness of the world, but I do think we can make a choice as to whether or not we will let it’s voice triumph. We can listen to it all day, tune our hearts to hear it’s song, and find ourselves burdened and exhausted. Or we could open the leather volume of pure, proven-true, life-giving words and bind our wandering hearts to the King who spoke them.

His words are true and pure. What a comfort. What a refuge. Hide yourself in them, dear friends. The more of His voice in your mind there is, the less of the world’s you’ll hear echoing, and the more rest your weary heart will find.

The world offers words of weariness. The Lord offers words of refuge. Run to His.