But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. // I will thank you forever, because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly. (Psa 52:8-9)
Last year we spent four weeks during Advent meditating on these words together [Olive Tree, Greenness, Gracias! The Grove].
Today I want to draw attention to the verses right before them:
The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, "See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!" (Psa 52:6-7)
God, in Christ, is our refuge. If we will, we may always find safety, peace, comfort, in Him. When life gets sketchy, when we get lost, when we are encircled by threats or woes, we may teleport behind the walls of God’s glory by remembering who He is and what He has done and what is ours in Him. And part of what it means to trust God is that we run to Him when things get dicey.
What else would we do?
Now that’s an interesting question. And an important question. Because we often do something different. We don’t always run to God. What do we do then?
David says that we still “seek refuge.” We still console ourselves. We still look to get behind something bigger than us, stronger than us, something we hope can protect us from what we fear. We still take refuge somewhere.
Only now, instead of taking refuge in the Lord our God whose steadfast love endures forever, we take refuge “in our own destruction.”
(What a phrase! When did David write this? Three-thousand years ago! And yet, isn’t this what we are daily tempted to do?)
We all have things that we know are unhealthy, unholy, and will make us unhappy. And yet… where do we go when we’re pushed? Where do we run when things get heavy?
Should we list them here? Confess our sins? Work, vacation-planning, shopping, cooking, hobbies, eating, drinking, exercise, friends, solitude, television, reading, day-dreaming, busyness…
Each one of these things has a healthy, holy version that, when submitted to Jesus and enjoyed for His glory are part of His presence in our lives. But also each one of these things will often lead us into unhealthy fixations and unholy addictions. And since we “enjoy” them separate from Jesus means that we are being manipulated by other powers into slavery and…destruction.
(And this is to say nothing about the many illicit refuges: legal and illegal substance abuse, pornography, compulsive behaviors, etc.)
We take refuge in our own destruction.
David identifies this refuge as “the abundance of his riches.” The unrighteous person often starts... comfortable. He is able, because he has money. She can deal with things, because she has stuff. They’re not afraid, because they have financing.
Poor people can be just as big of fools as rich people, but true poverty offers fewer opportunities for true self-destruction. Alcohol abuse, for example, is an expensive hobby!
You? You are not rich. But you are not poor. And what’s more, you live in a culture that, among other false messages, assures you that “you can do it!” That sense of agency, most embodied in our financial status, always leads us off course. We refuse to make God our refuge. Why? Because we have other refuges that we can use and that don’t involve humility, honesty, or asking. We prefer those refugees. We prefer our own destruction.
On behalf of your God, friend, please… Take refuge in Him. Be planted in His home, His heart. Trust His steadfast-love. He has done it! He will do it. He is good. You can trust Him. Don’t be afraid. You’re safe. You’ll survive. Forever and ever.
And there is a path from where you are right now to there. There is a path. Pause. Say a prayer. Take one step toward Jesus.
In Him, you’re home.
Photo by Micah Williams on Unsplash
