Why flee when you can trust?

Psalm 11:1 (NIV) In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain. 2 For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. 3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Perhaps you feel like the lighthouse keeper shown above, except in a spiritual context, with waves crashing in on you from all sides. You can almost hear their rhythmic thundering as the full power of the ocean is being unleashed on the sides of the tower. Unrelenting in their purpose and seemingly infinite in their capability, your life issues smash against your faith and mental health.

Your thoughts or people around you say, flee like a bird (insignificant and defenseless) to your mountain (a place of supposed escape you created without God’s help). God has forgotten you and left you to defend yourself against these attacks. You must fend for yourself and try to find a way of escape, or you will be destroyed, and the first thing you must do is run for your life! Then anxiety grows as you begin to sink into the waves, and they start to feed on your last remnants of hope. This trial isn’t like the others; this one is trying to shred your faith from your soul. Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? – Psalm 10:1

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. – Psalm 11:4

Then, in what seems like the final moments of your sanity, you hear a small whisper emanating from within you. From a place exempt from what you are experiencing, it says, “Prostrate yourself before me; you are never forgotten and never abandoned!” Your thinking begins to change as David’s did: LORD, you are holy and still sit upon your heavenly throne! You observe everyone on earth, and that includes me! Hope begins to pour back into your deep places, addressing the root issues of the waves in your life. The waves grow increasingly quieter as God’s encouraging whisper says, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face. – Psalm 11:7

God’s authority is absolute, and his power is unlimited. He has no rival and answers to no one. The heavens are his throne and the earth his footstool. He does as he pleases and does all things well. He cannot be intimidated by any being, including man. With a blast from his nostrils, mountains crumble, and the seas part. He is the only true and living God, King of kings and Lord of lords. He is undefeated and perfect in all his ways. Angels bow before him, crying holy, holy, holy! The four and twenty elders throw their crowns at his feet as they bow before him. He is our great savior and is worthy of all the praise!

Insight

Your faith is not on spiritual death row! God’s timing is perfect, and he will deliver you out of life’s storms, but you must hold the line of faith. Why flee when you can trust?