“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?”
- Psalm 11:1-3 -

The psalmist paints a vivid picture of the battleground, with arrows flying in all directions and someone trying to flee, but he himself is hiding in a safe refuge (v 1). It is significant that the psalmist begins with the phrase, ‘In the Lord I take refuge’, before the troubles are mentioned. Thus he refuses to flee in fear, but rests in the Lord’s safe keeping. When we meet serious trouble, is that how we respond? Or do we rush about every which way, panicking?

Verse 3 points to the importance of foundations; foundations in the wrong place can fail us. Where are yours? Where do you feel safe? In knowing you have a healthy bank balance? Proximity to a supermarket? A good job? None of these are secure, as the world has been discovering. When a crisis like coronavirus happens, or earthquakes, droughts and flooding, nothing is secure anymore – except the knowledge that we are ‘hidden with Christ in God’ and therefore whatever happens we are safe forever.

There is a warning here of final judgment (vs 4–7). The mention of fire and brimstone (or ‘burning sulfur’, v 6) are a perpetual reminder of what happened to Sodom. The wicked will one day be judged, whereas the righteous, those who are right with God, are loved by him (v 7). So, as the arrows rain down around us, problems and troubles of every kind, we can ‘see his face’ (v 7) in love and worship, trusting he is still in control.

Prayer: Lord, when life tumbles in, my natural impulse is to flee. I ask for stabilizing strength so that I can stand firm, assured by the reminder that you are in control.