Center of Refuge

As I began to learn to "take refuge" in God, I learned that the only way to do that is to make God the center of all that I do and pursue living my life in the center of God's will.

I’ve often shared with others the “centers” of the Bible and how meaningful they were to me when I was getting ready for summer missions. I’ve even encouraged others with the words and knowledge of what God put at the center of His encouragement to us. But now, as God guides me on how to share this on a deeper level, I am even more amazed on a daily basis at the nuggets of wonder that God included so perfectly in these verses.

In searching for the center of God’s will through the center of His word, first, let’s consider what the word center is all about and how that can be used to describe the nature of God. Some synonyms for center are: middle, hub, heart, core. The center is the middle of all that is around it. It is the hub of activity. It is the heart of the situation. It is the core or central part of the whole.

Dictionaries can be such wonderful tools in studying the meaning of a word or event. Consider some of the different meanings of “center” according to The American Heritage Dictionary in relation to God and His will.

A point or place that is equally distant from the sides or outer boundaries of something; the middle: the center of a stage.

Our deepest desire should be to seek out the middle of God’s will. To find that place in our lives and hearts that leaves us completely encompassed by God’s love. Just as a point is the center of a stage, the desire for God’s guidance and presence should be in the center of all our desires.