I’ve already run for dear life
straight to the arms of God.
So why would I run away now
when you say,
“Run to the mountains; the evil
bows are bent, the wicked arrows
Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness
at every heart open to God.
The bottom’s dropped out of the country;
good people don’t have a chance”?
But God hasn’t moved to the mountains;
his holy address hasn’t changed.
He’s in charge, as always, his eyes
taking everything in, his eyelids
Unblinking, examining Adam’s unruly brood
inside and out, not missing a thing.
Psalm 11: 1-5 The Message
In Psalm 11, the writer addresses skeptics and pessimists. They are panicking at the state of their country, believing that it is only a matter of time until evil forces overrun it.
Sometimes in today’s world, we hear similar things. Predictions of doom and gloom. Matthew 24:36 is very, very clear on this subject: “But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even Heaven’s angels, not even the Son”.
There are some reports of Christians and churches being targeted. This is true, but history tells us that Christians have been persecuted for centuries, back to biblical times. This disturbing truth is not a reason to throw up our arms in defeat to say, “Oh well, they are louder than I am!”. No! This is the exact time when we can throw up our arms in praise to God for His perfect timing. Note that I said God’s timing, not ours.
I find the Psalmist’s response to these reports to be encouraging. The writer hears the reports, but he does not believe them. The Psalmist essentially says, “Why would I run to the mountains, when I can run straight into the arms of God?”
He then affirms what people of faith have always affirmed: that God is still in charge, that His address is still the same, and that He still judges every human being: every person created in His image.
Nothing gets past God. There is nothing hidden from Him. He sees all. The Psalmist takes comfort in this fact. Therefore, he has confidence in his heart, and not panic, as he considers the future.
The Psalm ends with a statement of faith that our God is a God of justice. In spite of rumors of evil winning everywhere, God will have the last word. Here is the final, faith-filled verse of the Psalm:
God’s business is putting things right;
he loves getting the lines straight,
Setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall,
we can look him straight in the eye.
May we have such faith as we consider our world today…
Prayer
Lord of all,
When I look at Your creation which surrounds me, why do I hesitate to believe that You are here? Why do I doubt that You are present and aware of all that is going on in our world? Rather than place my trust in people who claim to know everything, help me to place all my trust in You. So often I only give a little that I feel comfortable handing over to You. Forgive me for that lack of trust. Thank You that You care for every detail of my life, and know me better than anyone else.
Trusting in you, I pray this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen
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