Day 33 / 02.08.23 / REV. NG ZHI-WEN, PASTOR, ZION BISHAN BP CHURCH

Day 33: He offers refuge

Psalm 2

Dear brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, would you take a moment to meditate on the solemn words in Psalm 2?

“Therefore, you kings, be wise. Be warned you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss His Son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 2:10-12)

Blessed are all who take refuge in Him, in the Son of God. Given what Psalm 2 has been talking about, this last statement is an offer of refuge in the midst of warfare and rebellion.

The nations of the world, the kings and the peoples are in this united unholy rebellion against God. They resist His rightful reign over all the earth, they reject the one whom God has anointed as King.

We still live in an age where kings get anointed, crowned and enthroned. But long before our time, God has anointed His King, the Son. His rule is irresistible, His reign stretches to the ends of the earth. Every nation is His inheritance, everything rightly belongs to King Jesus.

When He first came 2,000 years ago, He proved Himself to be King by His life, His death, His resurrection and His ascension to the right hand of God. And one day soon, and very soon, this King Jesus will return.

When He comes, He is going to deal with all the rebels, every nation and every person will be judged by Him. Everyone will face Him in one of two ways: Either Jesus as judge in His anger, or Jesus as our refuge, our Saviour.

I wish to God that nobody faces King Jesus in His anger. And you know what? Neither does Jesus.

Today, He offers refuge. Today is the day for offering peace and reconciliation. Today is the day for salvation. And the call to everyone is to lay down your arms. Call an end to the foolish and futile resistance. Remove those silly self-made crowns and find refuge from the righteous wrath of God. Run to safety in the arms of Jesus. Serve the King, celebrate His rule with trembling, and kiss His son. Grim words.

You might be thinking: This isn’t a great way to attract people to Jesus. Probably so. But think about this: As the Church, this is a matter of great urgency for all of us. There is so much at stake.

Dear Church, we have this message of refuge for a world that is in rebellion against the Kingdom of God. If we are to bless the nations, then we must tell the world that Jesus is Lord and that He is coming soon to right all wrongs.

But we must also declare that Jesus is our Saviour. He offers peace with God by His blood. He offers peace to the whole world by His blood. He offers the one and only refuge, and He does this for our blessing.

Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. The world needs to know. Let us pray:

Father, indeed may the world know that there is a refuge in Christ. And may we be faithful to tell the world of this blessing. Amen.

Download the PDF version of today’s devotional here.

/ Reflect

Reading Psalm 2, what does it look like to take refuge in King Jesus?
Have you been living in a way that reflects taking refuge in Jesus?
How is God calling you to bring His refuge to the lost?

/ Pray

Pray for conviction to count our “silly self-made crowns” foolishness in the face of God’s peace and refuge. Pray for God to help us “lay down our rebellion” and instead seek His wisdom and long for His righteousness, acknowledging that earthly power is transient compared to His eternal reign.
Ask for His grace to share the message of salvation boldly, proclaiming Jesus as both refuge and judge. Pray for opportunities to witness, for the right words to convict, and for receptive hearts to hear the Gospel.
Pray for a sense of urgency among believers to share the hope that is Jesus Christ. Ask God to grant wisdom, discernment and inspiration to the Church to find means to faithfully declare to the ends of the earth Christ’s coming and His offer of eternal life.