2005-11-06 - Taking Refuge

Psalm 11, Part 3, Conclusion

Now something needs to go here to finish up the song. What is it? Let's read it again.

"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 the sons of men;
his eyes examine them.
The Lord examines the righteous,
but the wicked and those who love violence,
his soul hates.

On the wicked, he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot."
I know!
"For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice;
upright men will see his face."

I guess that's the bottom line, isn't it, Lord? First I have to accept the fact life is unfair, and I will probably never live to see it become fair. My responsibility will be to be the best king, that is the best representative of You, that I can be. I have to strive to act with the fairness that I expect You desire for the world.

Things won't be fair, but as long as I depend on You, I can strive to be fair myself, to deal with others with the justice I desire. I can strive to be an example of Your righteousness. And hopefully some of the unrighteous will desire to come to know You. As king and poet, I can give out the truths which You have given me. Then others, both in the land and possibly even among the Gentiles, can come to know You and to seek after Your righteousness. I can do that, can't I, as long as I'm willing to put my trust in You and give up my demands?

And it is the hope that one day I will see You face to face, that I will have an eternity to spend with You, that is the basis of my comfort in the midst of pain and sorrow. It is only the knowledge that this life isn't all there is, that can keep me going. It is only the comfort of a day when You will make everything all right, that there will be an end to war, to selfishness, to pain and suffering that can give me the strength to go on striving, to be the person You want me to be.

Lord, let me live in the comfort and the truth of an eternity with You, of seeing You face to face. "Lord, I do believe. Help my unbelief!"

Well, now lets see how it sounds.

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 the sons of men;
his eyes examine them.
The Lord examines the righteous,
but the wicked, and those who love violence,
his soul hates.

On the wicked, he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.
For the Lord is righteous,
he loves justice;
upright men will see his face."

I know this is in a different form from previous studies in the Psalms. It was written as a one-man dramatic presentation of Psalm 11. I hope you have enjoyed it and that it has been a blessing to you.

Lord Bless.
Pastor Geoffrey C. Kragen

gkragen@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org