Psalm 11
“In the Lord I take refuge. How can you say to my soul, ‘flee as a bird to your mountain!’ For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the unright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple. The Lord is on His throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men. The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and him who loves violence His soul hates. On the wicked, He will rain blazing coals; fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is “righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright shall see His face.“
The an old hymn that begins with the words, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.” By Louis Armstrong, I’m sure that song has resonated with a lot of people over the years, because there is one constant in life -trouble.
We are certainly living in troubled times. Our world is becoming more and more divided. The riots, the pandemic, genocide and lawlessness abound. Trouble is not a new issue. Nearly 1000 years before Jesus walked the earth, King David brought his troubles to God by praying the Psalms. And today we can use the Psalms to assist us in praying during times of trouble.
On one hand, we have an impulse to turn to God in times of trouble, but on the other hand we have the desire to run away and hide from what it taking place.
“In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me flee like a bird to the mountains.”
As human beings, it’s easy to run away and hide from the troubles we face. In America, drugs are running rampant, alcohol sales are through the roof, and sexual immorality is at an all-time high.
Charles Spurgeon said that “sinning times have always been the saints praying times.”
The Psalms do not minimize the level of trouble. But they describe what is at stake when troubles come.
Human beings today are not just having bad days, our troubles are as real as life and death. The foundations of civil and moral life are crumbling and the future well-being of people is at stake.
“For behold, the wicked bend their bow, the have set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?
There is an internal battle that goes on within people during difficult times. We can fight, for what is taking place across our world in many varied forms or we can run away from the problems. The third option and the best is to connect with God in prayer and receive His guidance in these troubled times. I will never be about riots and picket signs. But I am about smacking the devil in the face with God’s Word.
God is never far from us. He is the Lord of the universe and He sees and knows what we need.
“The Lord is in His Holy temple; the Lord is on His throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine.”
When Peter was about to face the most difficult time of his life in Luke 22:31-32 Jesus said, “Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when inc you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
We are being “sifted” by the troubles of this world, we can ask Jesus to pray for us. Rather than run away from the troubles we encounter. We can always call on Jesus who “always lives to make intercession for us” (Hebrews 7:25).
I decided along time ago that I was not going to let satan win. And I will always stick to those words.
In Genesis 18:25 Abraham asked God, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just? God is the judge of all the earth and He does do what is just. God’s just abs righteous justice demands that those who oppress others receive appropriate punishment for the way they have treated the people less powerful.
“The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and him to love violence His soul hates. On the wicked, He will rain blazing coals, fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
How does God respond when people use their power to oppress others? He says, If your neigh cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate” (Exodus 22:27). God hears the cries of the oppressed and will respond with justice.
As we face trouble that causes us to lose sleep or cry at night, we know that God sees, hears, and responds to our anguish.
Our great opportunity and goal should be to behave in the way Jesus both lived and taught. Being people who live a “Jesus-kind of life.” and live righteously.
“For the Lord is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright shall see His face.”
May our troubles always cause us to run to the very fact of God, rather than to the diversions and distractions of the world.
What advantage is it to have God’s mighty power if we don’t make use of it in times of trouble? As our works us being “sifted,” lets make use of Jesus.
Charles Spurgeon
From Pity to Praise 