Recently in the midst of a big decision, I was having trouble discerning which was the right course of action to take. I didn't feel that God was speaking strongly one way or the other, and no doors had shut yet. I trusted that God had a good plan for what was next, but I wasn't quite sure how much He would let me in on the plan, or what I needed in order to feel settled. Was I taking time to hear Him? Was He actually speaking clearly, but I was ignoring Him? Or was God leaving the decision, between multiple good options, up to me?
I'd been studying God's character with a spiritual mentor, and they once again turned me to Scripture. We spent some time in Psalm 91 where it says:
"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”"
We talked about what it means to dwell in the shelter of Lord if God is our fortress.
If I imagine it as a scene: There could be a lot going on outside, but once you get to the door of the fortress and are standing inside, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The outside is silenced, you have some time and space to yourself, and can trust that the fortress will protect you - not just anyone can get in. It's truly a place of refuge with room for your own voice, your own thoughts and for you to just be. A fortress also gives better perspective - allowing a bird's eye view of what's going on, rather than being in the middle of it all.
It felt like an invitation to step back from some regular engagements and responsibilities and find a place that felt like a refuge for me, to spend some time with the Lord. I ended up going to a couple local parks to spend time in creation, journal and meditate on Scripture. There was space for my true hopes and desires to come through and I felt at peace when I landed on a decision.
With all of this I hope to say - if you don't know where to turn for wisdom and discernment, turn to Scripture. Find a space where outside voices are muted and there is time for just you and God to talk. It's not always going to look like how it did for me, but we can trust in the character of God and who Scripture says He is. Today be reminded that God IS your refuge and your fortress, His shelter will provide rest.