Taking Refuge in God

September 4, 2022

taking refuge in god

I went on a beach trip recently with some girlfriends and had a great time enjoying the rolling waves while hanging on to a noodle so I could float. It was a lot of fun, except for the sunburn that came along with it! We set up a shade canopy and spent most of my time there, but I still got a nasty sunburn on my lips! Staying under the shade more would have been my protection. Although the sun is not really our enemy (and actually has many great benefits!) my recent trip made me think of God’s protection.

“Be gracious to me, O God. Be gracious to me for my soul takes refuge in You;
and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, until destruction passes by.” (Psalm 57:1)

I think of ‘taking refuge under the shadow of Your wings’ as similar to taking refuge under an umbrella in Texas in Beach umbrella July and August! The umbrella protects you from something big that can hurt you (ie the sun). Under it, you are safe, until the hottest part of the sunshine passes by. And an umbrella helps you relax some in the warm rather than suffer in the hot. When we know the ‘enemy’ is around, we must stay under the protective shadow of God’s steadfast love. When we leave His protective shadow, we are more vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Think of baby chicks running around living their lives but when a hawk is in the air then they run for their momma’s protective wings! Although not a perfect illustration, it reminds me of the blessing of shade on a hot day. We need to always stay under/near God’s canopy of protection because our real enemy is prowling about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour!

How do you stay protectively under God’s shadow of safety in your life?

by Lee Ann Postma, College Station, TX

Lee Ann Postma first attended a Body & Soul^® workout at CRU staff training in 1985 and knew right away that she would wanted to become an instructor as well! She has been teaching ever since, many times while pregnant, but always shortly afterwards, with the exception of a 10 year break after she had her 7th child and her husband was getting deployed several times. But she was so glad to be able to start again & see all the changes & additions of class options! Lee Ann lives and teaches Body & Soul^® classes in College Station, Texas. She loves being a member of the Body & Soul^® Spiritual Impact Team.

Body and Soul® Fitness is an international Christian fitness organization that trains and equips instructors to lead a variety of group fitness programs including choreographed aerobics-style Cardio Strength & Flexibility™, cardio dance style Dance Blast™, free-weights-focused Power Strength™, boot camp style FIT360™ and Longevity FIT360™, and GOLD™ - lower impact programming for participants that are pregnant, have weight challenges, injuries, or other medical conditions. These exercise classes meet in church gyms, community centers, gymnasiums, parking lots, schools, etc. across the United States, Europe, and Africa. In-person and virtual fitness classes are available.

Key words: Christian fitness, women's exercise classes, group fitness, dance aerobics classes, Christian group fitness, Christian fitness app, FitTV, Body & Soul, Body and Soul, fitness instuctor training, low impact exercise