The Lord a Refuge and Defense.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
11 In the Lord I take refuge;
How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain;
2 For, behold, the wicked bend the bow,
They [a]make ready their arrow upon the string
To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”4 The Lord is in His holy temple; the [b]Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain [c]snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves [d]righteousness;
The upright will behold His face.
When danger is lurking, the obvious reaction is to turn and flee, and the psalmist here sees danger at ever corner. Yet he begins with the Lord being his refuge. The mountains might seem safe, but they can guarantee nothing when the wicked are on the hunt.
Ultimately, the Lord is still on his throne, forever and always. No matter what man may do, God is in control. Does he guarantee us safety in this world? No, but he promises that no one can snatch you out of his hand. Elsewhere, we find that God sends rain on the just and the unjust. Whatever you may think of the rain, it might be gloomy or harmful, or it might be a blessing, but God sends it on us all.
I love something that the Life Application Study notes bring to light though. Whatever God does allow for those who love Him, is an opportunity. Sometimes, we will recognize it at once as a blessing. Other times, we have to look a little harder to find the silver lining. But every trial that God allows for us, is first no more than we can handle, because God is with us. Second, it is an opportunity for growth, if nothing else, and we never know what that growth will produce in our lives.
But God knows, and as we mentioned in verse 4, He is still on the throne. So do not fret, do not “run to the mountain” to hide away from all danger. Trust that God knows what he is doing, and let Him be your refuge through any fire or storm.