In You, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline Your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!
Psalm 31:1-2
In the story of the Prodigal Son, the key moment in the story is when the younger son is sitting amongst the pigs, eating their slop, and as the Gospel says “he came to himself.” (Luke 15:17) There was a moment of clarity that he might be in trouble. His misfortune had been of his own making, in the sense that he had demanded his share of his inheritance from his father, then he took it to a faraway country, and squandered it in loose living. The minute the money was gone, so were the friends. Because loose living means there are no grounded relationships, just superficial ones. And when there are no grounded relationships, in a time of sorrow, one might find himself or herself totally alone.
The word “rescue” implies that one cannot fix his or her predicament and needs outside help in order to rectify it. For instance, a hiker slips on a steep trail and falls, breaking his leg. He is unable to move or walk out from where he is. He must remain there until rescuers come, stabilize his leg and carry him out from where he is.
In the case of the Prodigal Son, he was able to walk home, but he could not fix his predicament of being alone. He had turned his back on his family. He had lost all his friends. And he needed someone outside of himself to choose to embrace him. When he went home, he wasn’t even looking for embrace, he just wanted some food. He was happy to work for his father as a hired hand, just to not perish from hunger. But rather than just rescue him from his predicament, the father embraced him, forgave him, and restored him to his place in the family.
In some ways, we all need rescuing. There are places where each of us is stuck in life, it might be a shaky relationship, or a difficult job, a financial challenge, a medical setback, not enough friends, lack of self-confidence, etc. There are many examples. No matter what we do, we can’t seem to rectify our situation. And this is where God comes in. When you read the Psalms, many Bibles put a title on the Psalm, to let us know why the Psalm was written. In the case of the Psalms written by David, there might even be an explanation of what precipitated David’s writing of that Psalm. In one of the Bibles I read from, Psalm 31 is labeled “prayer and praise for deliverance from enemies.” (RSV) And sometimes the enemy is not a person, but a situation. Sometimes the enemy is our reaction to a situation.
In praying Psalm 31, we begin by affirming that we will seek refuge in the Lord. Many people who are hoping to be rescued from whatever life’s circumstance they feel trapped in take refuge in something that just makes it worse—alcohol, drugs, pornography, self-loathing, distraction, etc. Rather than take refuge in the Lord, they run elsewhere. And in doing so, they find shame rather than relief. This is why immediately after affirming taking refuge in the Lord, the prayer becomes to avoid shame. In other words, keep focused on the Lord, and away from the shameful thoughts and actions that tempt us when we feel stuck.
The Psalm continues by acknowledging that rescuing and deliverance are based on God’s righteousness, not our own sense of righteousness. This is one of the challenges in the world today, that we edit God’s righteousness to our own standards, rather than molding ourselves around His righteousness.
There is a sense of immediacy in the plea to be rescued speedily. It is very tempting to be lulled into complacency when it comes to being motivated to grow spiritually. Time passes and for many people, our identity as Christians becomes more something that we do, rather than something we are. We postpone repenting of sins, thinking there will always be time. Or we carry guilt rather than accepting God’s mercy. The Psalm continues by encouraging us to look at God as our rock of refuge, a strong fortress (Psalm 31:2) to save us. When we see God as our refuge and our fortress, then we have comfort in time of shame, direction when we are not sure where to go, and rescue when we can’t move ourselves. Faith is when we seek to find rest and refuge in God, rather than just relying on our own strength. Two other verses of Scripture come to mind as we finish our reflection today. Isaiah 30:15 reads: For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Proverbs 3:5-6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.
In Thee, O Lord, do I see refuge; let me never be put to shame; in Thy righteousness deliver me! Incline Thy ear to me, rescue me speedily! Be Thou a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! Yea, Thou art my rock and my fortress; for Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me, take me out of the net which is hidden for me, for Thou art my refuge. Into Thy hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. Thou hatest those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad for Thy steadfast love, because Thou hast seen my affliction, Thou hast taken heed to my adversities, and hast not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; Thou hast set my feet in a broad place. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. Yea, I hear the whispering of many—terror on every side!—as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. But I trust in Thee, O Lord, I say, “Thou art my God.” My times are in Thy hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors! Let Thy face shine on Thy servant; save me in Thy steadfast love! Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on Thee; let the wicked be put to shame ,let them go dumbfounded to Sheol. Let the lying lips be dumb, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. O how abundant is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for those who fear Thee, and wrought for those who take refuge in Thee, in the sight of the sons of men! In the covert of Thy presence Thou heist them form the plots of men; Thou holdest them safe under Thy shelter from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for He has wondrously shown His steadfast love to me, when I was beset as in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, “I am driven far from Thy sight.” But Thou didst hear my supplications, when I cried to Thee for help. Love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly requites him who acts haughtily. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! Psalm 31
Reflection question: What would it look like to rest in God rather than in my own strength?
0 Comments