Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I said to the Lord, “You
are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in
whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on
my lips.
This Psalm is attributed to David, whom is considered to be
the best King that Israel ever had. He definitely had his fair share of sins,
but his heart was malleable, and always turned towards God. He struggled with
his power, and bore the consequences of failing in this struggle multiple
times. But he was God’s chosen King, and he rejoiced in the love of his God.
In verse 1, we see that he takes refuge in God and trusts
Him to keep him safe. When times are hard, God is the one who is there for us,
the ultimate comforter and companion. Often, I find myself turning to other
things for comfort rather than to God. When I am down and depressed, I turn to
chocolate, or watch TV to try and zone out the world and my troubles. And these
things might help for a little while, but in the end, they don’t lift me out of
my funk. How different would my outlook be if I turned to God through Scripture
and prayer when things started to go a little haywire, or when I started
wondering about my worth and purpose? I have to discipline my thoughts and
actions to do and think what is right and true.
Verse 2 continues: I
said to the Lord, “You are my
Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” By calling God, “Lord,” and “Lord,” David is asserting
that it is Yahweh God – not any other, as we will see in verse 4 – that is the
giver of every good thing in his life. Sometimes I think all the stuff gets in
the way of me acknowledging that God is the only truly good thing I have to
cling to. It makes me put my hope in people and things, and not God. A year ago, my in laws lost their house to one of the California
forest fires. A 2,000+ square foot house filled to the brim with stuff was
reduced ash. Glass and metal melted under the intense heat of the flames and
overnight, all that stuff was gone. As I look around my house, there really isn’t
anything that is fire proof. The copious amount of notes I took in Seminary,
the multiple versions of Scripture I own – these things too will burn up. But,
what will survive is God’s presence in my life, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit
in my heart and soul, and Kingship of Christ over all I do. That’s good, right?
The answer is a resounding YES! We worship a God who sees us and loves us and
cares for us. Cares so much that he died for us, so that we could spend
eternity with Him. God is sovereign, and utterly sufficient.[1]
The fires of life don’t change that. No amount of stuff changes that.
Verse 3 kind of kicks me in the pants. As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in
whom is all my delight. The word “saints” literally means, “holy ones.”
These are the people who are set apart for God, and in whom God’s holy
character is seen.[2] David says that these are
the glorious ones—the ones worth fame
and attention. He delights in them. Who do we delight in? Who do we give
inordinate amounts of attention? Whose fame do we celebrate and, dare I say it,
idolize? One look at the media answers that question, and Christians are just as
guilty of it. I am just as guilty of
it. I don’t turn to the teachings of past saints and devoted disciples of
Christ. I don’t study the words of the apostles with delight because I find
greater entertainment in watching TV shows, or reading other fiction books. As
I said before, when I am struggling, I turn to other entertainers rather than
to my God who has saved me from darkness. Instead of embracing the light, I
prefer to hide in the shadows and watch the flickering TV. Instead of calling
on the saints and the community of believers in my church, I hide my pain and
struggle and try to manage it myself. And does it make me feel better? No, not
really.
Verse 4 wraps up this section of the Psalm with David
asserting that he will not engage in false worship. The previous three verses
make it apparent that it is just not worth it. If God is our refuge, our
sovereign, our Creator, provider, redeemer, and every other good thing in our
life, how could we ever settle for the doubt and confusion that comes from
false worship? Sometimes it feels good to be able to do something, instead of just wait, and pray, and hope. But there
is no God like our God, and if we are going to follow Him, we have to realize
that waiting is part of being faithful. If we feel we need to do something,
then we need to pray and read His word, not seek answers from false gods and
empty idols. For that matter, whatever we turn to before turning to God becomes
an idol in our life. If we are depending on our own strength, chocolate, or TV
to get us through, then God does not hold the superior place in our hearts.
This is hard you all. I have been in a funk lately, I have
had the blues, depression, whatever you want to call it the last few weeks. I
cry at the drop of a hat as I fight to believe that my life and efforts to be a
wife and mother are not just wasted time. It’s hard to cling to God when it
takes all my strength to get myself and my little guy up and dressed in the
morning. I sit here wondering how to break years of bad habits and destructive
thought patterns the easy way, and there is no easy way to do it. We just have
to start, we have to practice. Last night at gymnastics practice, I told one of
my gymnasts who was struggling with a twisting jump to, “Do it a thousand times.
If you’re still having a hard time after that, we’ll talk.” I have to take my
own advice and try to do it a thousand times. I have to discipline myself, my
thoughts, and my actions, in order to cling to the light of the Son. Diligence
can be so underrated in the face of easy entertainment, but it is worth it.
May God, who lavishes His love upon us, be the only good
thing in our lives, and may He be completely sufficient for all our needs.
[1]
D. Guthrie and J.A. Motyer, eds., The New
Bible Commentary; Revised (London: Intervarsity Press, 1970), 460.
[2] Ibid.
Following Jesus and living for the Lord can not be done in our own strength. There are so many distractions and worldly nuances teasing us. It's great and so important that you are a diligent reader of His word. The Holy Spirit speaks to our heart, mind and soul and transforms us through God's word. Thanks for this post that is a great reminder that God is indeed our refuge.
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