God is our refuge.

 

91. God is our refuge: What other refuge is there for mankind to really seek? Can the idols of our own vain imaginings really assist us. We can try and strive on our own, but are we really working outside of God’s ultimate power and control. God gives us the choice of making decisions for our ultimate good or for our own bitter downfall, what else is there we can really control. We can help or harm one another, but is that really going above a choice we are making. If we really want to be plugged into what is really going on in the universe we come right back to The Creator of all. You can either swim against the tide of the workings of the universe or you can get plugged in and let all your worries go to the way side as you take God as your refuge and let Him ultimately take care of you. But don’t get this confused, God expects action on our parts, He has given us books and guidelines of which we can use to make our plans and decisions. But the ultimate decision relies on us; God won’t do it for you. (see freewill for more information) This information is reflected in the religions of God but much is left to interpretation.  JUDAISM: Psalms 62:7 “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge.”

BAHA’I FAITH: “God is our refuge!”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, A Traveller’s Narrative, p. 30)

 BABI RELIGION: “No refuge do I seek save God. Verily He is the guardian and the best supporter…” of all beings.

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 20)

 JUDAISM: Psalms: 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” Psalms: 91:2 “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.” Psalms: 61:3 “For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.” Psalms: 94:22 But The LORD is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge. Jeremiah: 16:19 “O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge.”  CHRISTIANITY: Acts: 7:35 “This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.” Ephesians: 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” 6:14 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” 2 Corinthians: 1:9 “We should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 2 Thessalonians: 3:1 “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:” 3:2 “And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.” 3:3 “But The Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” Hebrews: 13:6 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” 1 Timothy: 2:3 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Maccabees: 10:28 “Their refuge also unto the Lord.” (Deuterocanonical Apocrypha) Hebrews: 6:17 “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath;” 6:18 “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” Hebrews: 8:1 “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;” 8:2 “A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”

BAHA’I FAITH: “Let us take refuge in God.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 335)

 BABI RELIGION: “No refuge do I have to flee to save Thee.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 204)

 ISLAM: 200. “If a suggestion from Satan assail thy (mind), seek refuge with Allah (God); for He heareth and knoweth (all things).”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah   7)

 116. “Unto Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He giveth life and He taketh it. Except for Him ye have no protector nor helper.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah   9)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: “If one relies on his own strength alone he may feel dejected. If he has faith in God (relies on God for his refuge) he may with optimism proceed to fight evil.” “let this our worship shelter us from the Daeva and from the evil-minded man.”

(ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan p. 50 and Avesta – Yasna 58)

 8. “Under the shelter of the ritual Order let us do so in the active fulfillment of its (precepts) toward every one.”

(The Zend-Avesta, Avesta – Yasna 35)

 HINDUISM: 9. “Be Thou a refuge, Bright One, to the singer, a shelter, Bounteous Lord, to those who worship.”

(Hindu, Vedas, Rig Veda – Book 1)

 18. “Seeking for freedom I go for refuge to that God who is the light;”

(Hindu, Upanishads vol. 2, Svetasvatara-Upanishad)

 BUDDHISM: 14. “Driven by fear, men take to many a refuge, in mountains, forests, parks, sacred groves and shrines, but these are not a secure kind of refuge. By taking to this sort of refuge one is not released from suffering. He who has gone to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha for refuge, though, this refuge one is indeed released from all suffering.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards))

 SABEANISM: “Thou art He who constructeth, and who takest out from amongst the peoples, nations and tongues every man who is summoned, worthy and invited. To every man whose term of life is over Thou wilt be a Helper, Saviour, (refuge) and Guide” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 76)

 “I waiteth on The Life Haiyi (God) and mine eyes upon Manda-d-Hiia; for they will be my support, my deliverer, (shelter) and saviour from the Place of Darkness to the Place of Light.” “In the name of The Great Life! Hear me, my Father, hear me! Draw me upward (O) Great One.” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapters 77 and 80)

 BABI RELIGION: “Protect me, O my God, through the potency of Thy transcendent and all-sufficing glory and by the hosts of the heavens and the earth, inasmuch as in no one can I wholly place my trust but in Thee and no refuge is there but Thee.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 194)

 “O LORD! Unto Thee I repair for refuge and toward all Thy signs I set my heart. O Lord! Whether travelling or at home, and in my occupation or in my work, I place my whole trust in Thee.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 193)

BAHA’I FAITH: “O my Lord, verily I seek refuge with Thee from the very thought of such an act, which is contrary to all the commandments of Bahá’u’lláh, and which would indeed be a mighty wrong that none but a grievous sinner would ever perpetrate.” “O God Omnipotent, do Thou shield us and be our refuge and, O Lord of Being, show forth Thy might and Thy dominion.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, pages 217 and 313)

“I take refuge with my Lord, and your Lord.” “Seek refuge with God, the Lord of all Religions.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 64 and The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 32)