Why am I so anxious and exhausted? The news and my neck are as tense as a board. When will the buzzing in my ears go away? The world feels so unfair. When will people stop hurting me? Where can I go…where is my hiding place?
When David wrote Psalm 2, he was searching for an answer to all the craziness in the world and the storm that brews in every human heart. The rulers around him would cry out “Let us free ourselves from slavery to God.” They saw God as a controlling slave owner who keeps messing up their plans. But their plans were evil and they used their power against each other and against God’s anointed one.
As a loving Father, God doesn’t back down. He holds his ground and reaffirms who is in charge, his anointed Son. His Son is wonderfully good and can’t wait for the day when he will enjoy his full inheritance, including rich intimacy with the nations that don’t yet want Him. Jesus will someday break the irreverent rulers and smash them like clay pots, but He gave himself up to be broken and smashed first. He’s our Messiah, our Savior, the One who wants you –wants us - more than anything else. He wants to soften our necks, quiet our thoughts, and provide a joyful hiding place for our souls.
I’m spurred to turn to Him as I read this psalm. Will you join me, friends? He’s powerful and will fight for you and for me! He’s fair and has committed to destroying the hurtful ‘rulers’ in our lives who won’t submit to Jesus. Know that the evil around us and within us finds its end in Jesus. His anger will continue to flair up against the things that are crushing you, even the things unseen.
David finishes his psalm with a life changing invitation. Don’t fight the storm, seek refuge…and He will give you joy. What kinds of things are keeping you up at night right now? What keeps getting between you and your spouse or a friend? Is there anything that keeps troubling you? Are there any ‘rulers’ in your life who are crushing you? Whatever it is, He is your Hiding Place. No one else can take care of you like He can.
Not sure what it looks like to take refuge in Jesus? Let’s ask him. Let’s talk about it together or with someone we trust. How can we daily go to our Hiding Place and find joy? What does it look like for all of us, today, to go to our loving Savior and make Him our hiding place? As David concludes: “What joy is for all who take refuge in Him!”
- Dan and Rebekah Gorrell