Good morning,
Keep me safe, O God
Today we are living in a world where refugees are fleeing from one country to another or one area in their country to another area, in a desperate bid to find safety from what they they have discovered are their deadly enemies. It is especially difficult for those of us watching these waves of people who come from areas that we have lived in or who have some other connection to our own personal situation. On the other hand, it’s hard for those of us who have been born and raised in America to relate to genuine refugees who are willing to face death and loss of all their worldly goods to find a place where they can feel safe again. For years the United States was considered a place of refuge, and many of us are the second or third generation of people who came to live here to feel safe again. King David knew what running from his enemies was like, and when he wrote Psalm 16 he gives us a picture of what he learned during those challenging years.
He starts out this Psalm by saying, Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. His running took him far away from friends and family, and life on the run left him feeling alone and vulnerable while finding a place to hide. As we keep reading the Psalm we discover that David learned that he was not alone. He didn’t know where to go, but his God knew where to send him. He writes, I will bless the Lord who guides me, and even in the darkest night he heard God’s voice telling him where to go and what to do. Better yet, David learned that he was never alone no matter how difficult the circumstances seemed to be. In fact, his driving fears were replaced by an unshakable confidence that, I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. What started as reckless running became a walk with his God, who was right beside him. By the time that David gets to the end of the Psalm, he had come to the point where he knew that he was living his life under the care of the God who had a perfect plan that included all the details of his life. He still had to keep moving, but he was following the Good Shepherd. Things may have been hard, but he knew the joy of walking with the God who always knew what to do. David came to understand one more thing. His life might be hard right now, but he could look forward to the pleasures of living with his loving Father for the rest of eternity. David knew that his journey would end in peace and not in disaster. Dear Lord, will you please teach each of us the truth of these powerful lessons as we face what seems to us to be an uncertain future.
Psalms 16:11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
Roy Wisner
