Waiting Too Late To Seek Refuge

Life is not always smooth sailing for you and I. There are grave calamities that befall human beings in this world. They happen each and every day. As the residents of Galveston and Houston, TX have found out, as Hurricane Ike blazed it’s path of destruction through these cities. I want to read the following which is an excerpt from yesterday’s report of The Associated Press General News. This is the headline:
Hurricane Ike slams Texas coast with major floods
Saturday, September 13, 2008 9:17 AM EDT
The Associated Press
By JUAN A. LOZANO and CHRIS DUNCAN Associated Press Writers

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Massive Hurricane Ike ravaged southeast Texas early Saturday, battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts as residents who decided too late they should have heeded orders to evacuate made futile calls for rescue.
It remained unclear before daybreak how many people may have perished as the worst of Ike was passing over the Houston-Galveston area. But even before the storm had passed and daylight had arrived, damage was already considered extensive. Thousands of homes and government buildings had flooded, roads were washed out, 2.9 million people lost power and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them. But the biggest fear was that tens of thousands of people had defied orders to flee and would need to be rescued from submerged homes and neighborhoods.
"The unfortunate truth is we’re going to have to go in ... and put our people in the tough situation to save people who did not choose wisely. We’ll probably do the largest search and rescue operation that’s ever been conducted in the state of Texas," said Andrew Barlow, spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry.
If you have turned on the news any at all in the days preceding the landfall of Hurricane Ike, you probably heard the pleas of Texas officials doing their best to persuade residents to evacuate, and get out of town before tragedy struck. Some people heeded the warning and fled to safety, however, many ignored the warning and stayed behind. They made a very unwise decision. They waited too late to seek refuge.
There are decisions that you and I have to make in our lives. The most important of these is whether to live for God and seek refuge in Him through Jesus Christ, or to resist the calling of God in our lives to be saved by grace through faith in Christ, and ultimately perish.
There are many verses in The Holy Bible that speak of God being a refuge. I want to read a few of those verses right now.
Deu 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
Psa 9:9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Psa 14:6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Psa 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble
Psa 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.
Psa 59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.
Psa 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.