Week 11: Day 5

Intro: Welcome to Orbit! My name is Lois and I’m going to be leading us through a reflection on Psalm 11 today.

Bible: In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?’

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulphur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.

Thoughts: This psalm paints a picture of the two directions we can take when we are in trouble. It is documented as a psalm of David – who was no stranger to being in the thick of circumstances, where he is up against it.

After he’s anointed as King, David is hounded by the jealous King Saul who just wants him gone. We see in verse 1 that David knows that fundamentally that it is the Lord who is his refuge. Where other people might advise him to “flee to his own mountain”, to essentially take matters into his own hands, to seek protection through more tangible means, he declares in this psalm it is the Lord who is in his holy temple, it is the Lord who is on his heavenly throne, it’s God who reigns.

It can be really easy for us to be so tempted in our lives to try and take matters into our own hands. To try and rush ahead of God when we feel like he is taking time to fulfil a promise, to not live in a way that we feel he has called us to live, to not to forgive people when they hurt us because holding a grudge feels better in the moment. To live in a way that we think is better. However, this psalm reminds us that it is God who is on the throne. Any attempt by us to put ourselves on that throne isn’t going to end well.

David encourages himself that God actually has his eyes on those that aren’t living right, and although the language in the psalm sounds a bit savage, you can always rely on the psalms to bring the true heart cries!

This psalm shows us so clearly that God is a God of justice and although things in life may not pan out exactly how we would desire them or in a way that we would determine to be fair, God is the ultimate yardstick for what is righteous, what is fair and where we place our hope in him and seek refuge in him, we can trust that, “we will see his face” and that his good perfect purposes will come to pass, he will do what he has promised and that his ways are best.

Prayer: Lord God, I thank you that you are our refuge. In times of trouble, we can hide in you. I pray for those of us that are feeling the pull to take matters into our hands, that you would remind us that you can be trusted, that your purposes are good. In you we find true refuge. Holy Spirit, lead us deeper into your life today. Amen

Challenge: I’d love you to take a moment to think about where maybe you’re tempted to take matters into your own hands. Whether that be a relationship or situation. Maybe write a letter to God or pray and determine within your heart not to try and take the situation from God but trust him with it.

Outro: Thanks so much for joining me this week!