Refuge

There is a city on a hill

A place for us to rest

Erected there from living stones

Built on a rock that stands the test

A firm foundation from a stone

That once was cast away

Smitten and stricken by our sin

But now is exalted and raised

The stricken rock poured forth its grace

The smitten stone now flows

For by the wounding we are healed

Joy comes through a flood of woes

For he bore our sins in his Body

This rock of offense  was reviled

And cast out from the holy city

So that we might be reconciled

In a city of refuge

A place of mercy and of grace

For He is our rock of refuge

And justice shall reign in this place

Protection for the weary

Asylum for the weak

Who know their neediness of hope

Opened for those who seek

He takes us to his wounded side

And guards us from our sin

The penitent pilgrim he forgives

For he knows the hearts of men

He redeems all our transgressions

He restores us from our shame

He removes the fear of even death

And gives us a new name.

In a city of refuge

The lost are found, the wounded healed

For He is our refuge

In the shade of this rock is light revealed

And now in safety we abide

Our security made sure

In the smitten stone we now reside

In the cleft of the rock secure

Within the cleft sin’s rod has left

A place for us to hide

And in the wounds we find our home

If we will come inside.

In a city of refuge

The lost are found, the wounded healed

For He is our refuge

In the shade of this rock is light revealed

And now in safety we abide

Our security made sure

In the smitten stone we now reside

In the cleft of the rock secure

Anthony Foster

July 31, 2012