Psalm 9:9–10

For a long time, I believed safety was something I had to create on my own. Control everything. Anticipate everything. Stay guarded. Stay ready. Because if I didn’t, something—or someone—would break through and hurt me.

And then I remember:

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.” — Psalm 9:9–10

A refuge.

Not a temporary fix. Not a distraction. Not something fragile that disappears the moment life gets hard. A refuge is a place you run to when everything else feels unsafe. It’s solid. It holds. It protects.

My favorite part is who He is a refuge for.

The oppressed.
The overwhelmed.
The ones carrying more than they should have to carry.

People like me.

People like you.

There is something deeply healing in realizing that you don’t have to be “put together” to come to God. You don’t have to clean yourself up first. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay. In fact, this verse makes it clear—it’s in the trouble, in the pressure, in the breaking—that He becomes your stronghold.

A stronghold. I am not used to using that in that context.

It’s not like the strongholds that I’ve struggled with.

Addiction. Suicide. Shame. Fear. Pain.

But God’s stronghold is different. It doesn’t confine—it covers. It doesn’t control—it shelters. It doesn’t demand—it welcomes.

And maybe the hardest part of all of this is the next line:

“Those who know your name trust in you…”

Trust.

That word can feel almost impossible when you’ve been hurt—especially by people who were supposed to love you. Trust doesn’t come easy when your story has taught you that vulnerability is dangerous.

But this kind of trust isn’t blind. It isn’t forced. It’s built.

“For you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

Not once.

Not in my worst moment.
Not in my relapse.
Not in my anger.
Not in my questioning.
Not in my breaking.

He has never walked away.

Because He is still a stronghold.
And He is still holding.