Refuge or Habitation!

What is the difference between “refuge” and “habitation”?
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A refuge is a place where a person goes temporarily for relief from something, in most cases relief from some sort of harm. A habitation is a permanent dwelling place.

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Now let’s look at some scriptures:

Refuge:

Psalms 9; 9
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Psalms 57; 1
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
We can see from the above that refuge indicates a place a person goes temporarily.

Habitation:

Psalms 33; 13- 14
The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
 
Psalms 71; 3
 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
 
From the above we can see that habitation is a permanent place.
 
Now let’s look at another scripture:
 
  Psalms 91; 7 - 10
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
 
We can see from verse 9 that firstly  it is a choice “Because thou hast made the Lord, etc
 
Making the Lord our habitation is different from making Him our refuge, we need both.
So how do we make the most high our habitation? I.e. to abide all the time under His shadow?

Here are a few ways:

• ​By spending time with the Lord and knowing His voice and His ways.
• By being led by the spirit of God, only go where He leads.
• By committing all our decisions under His guidance
• By listening to the voice of the Lord
• By obeying the word of the Lord, written and oral
• By practising His presence 24/7
• By walking in the spirit
• By being spiritually minded
• By allowing His words to abide in us
• By walking in communion with the Lord

The rewards of making the Lord our habitation are clearly stated in Psalms 91.

Let’s us not be those that only run to the Lord in trouble, let Him be our habitation!. He longs for us at all times.

Bisi Oladipupo