Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Does God Hold You Back? | The Writings | Psalm 2

Episode Date: January 2, 2024

Are you trying to work against God? Is it hard to make it on your own? In today's episode, Tanya looks to Psalm 2 to find assurance during times when it feels like you can't go on or make it on your own. Read the Bible with us in 2024! This year, we’re tackling a group of Old Testament books traditionally known as “The Writings”— Psalms, Chronicles, Proverbs, Daniel, Ruth and more! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Psalm 2

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmeth. This morning, the first half of my run was quite unpleasant. I turned right out of the driveway. Actually, I always turned right, never left for some reason. And the wind hit me in the face. It was 34 degrees Fahrenheit here, so it's not too bad for a winter morning,

but the chill made me pull my hat down lower on my forehead and over my ears. The wind made me colder, of course, but it also made it harder. I couldn't hear the cars, being my hat, was pulled down, and the wind itself sounds like a car. So I kept looking backward to make sure nothing was coming up behind me. I just knew I was going to have to tough it out for the first half of my run until I turned around. When I turned around, I wouldn't have to fight the wind. And I could settle in and enjoy the sunrise. The hills would be more downward, and there would be the assurance that the finish line was near.

I think the first half of that run is the place we camp out a lot in our spiritual lives. It looks like we're making progress, maybe even winning, the power struggle, the uphill battle, the deafness to the real dangers that come with living that way. It's in our human nature to want to be autonomous and exert strength and power over the people and situations that God puts before us. Psalm 2 is part of a song or a poem that reflects this part of our human nature. and offers the solution for our struggle with autonomy. When we read Sontov aloud or contemplate its words,

we are confronted with the reality of human power and how limited it really is. We are confronted with the futility of our own desires to be on top. We're also assured that those who exert power over us in a way that is misleading or manipulative or self-driven will not come out on top. It may look like they're winning, but everyone is a count. to God. Everyone, including us, will either face his wrath or find their refuge in him. That sounds grave, doesn't it? It kind of is, but it's also really beautiful. Psalm 2 will work to both assure us and alert us. It begins,

Why do the nations conspire and the people's plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his anointed one. Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters. The one enthroned in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, I have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill. Now, we can identify with this enemy that's described here,

because we've all believed the lie at some point or another, that obedience and submission to God and His Word shackles us and limits us, that God's way is the lesser way. We have believed that true freedom and happiness come from living for ourselves, taking care of ourselves, making sure we come out on top. This Psalms turns our thinking upside down and reminds us that pride, not God, is the real threat to humanity. And God's response to this enemy is to instill his,

son. Jesus is God's answer to the chaos, the anxiety, the strife of pride and autonomy. He wants to teach us how to take refuge in his forgiveness and live in his assurance, because that's the better way. If we find our refuge in God, we will have assurance that no matter what happens, he will make everything right. But if we don't find our refuge in him, the real power struggle is between us and God. we will be fighting God himself. There is no refuge from God, only in God. Take, for example, the disciples who saw Jesus crucified outside the city gates. It must have looked like the world was winning when this happened.

Harold and Pontius Pilate appeared to have the upper hand, didn't they? But the crucifixion wasn't the end of the story. When the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, they had a new perspective on worldly power, and real power. The real power was in the resurrection. Not only were Pontius Pilate and Herod not in control of Jesus, but they were actually used by him to accomplish God's salvation plan. In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John quoted Psalm 2 when they were preaching to the newest Christians. At this point, they could look back and recite the Psalm in light of Jesus and the resurrection,

how Jesus brought this Psalm to life. Imagine what it would have been like to read it for the first time, knowing Jesus did go to Zion, and he did defeat death, and he did ascend to heaven to reign as king. Wouldn't that give you a lot of boldness to live for him? Wouldn't that make you less afraid of the people who seem to be in power? Wouldn't that make it more urgent for you to tell people about Jesus? Well, this is the side of the cross we live in. We should be bold to live for the true king.

We should live less in anxiety and more. more in assurance. We can be less disturbed by the people that misuse their power over us. But the way this Psalm ends doesn't let us off the hook in a self-righteous pity party either. It says, now therefore, O kings, be wise. Be warned, a rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with great trembling. Kiss the sun lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Lestead are all who take refuge. in him. Remember, what we said earlier, there's no refuge from God, only refuge in God. And when the first people read and memorized this Psalm, this was a reminder to keep turning back

to God to find refuge. We can get so good at running against the wind that we actually forget we're doing it. We live for self, we fight for self, we think we're taking care of ourselves. And we have to ask ourselves, am I finding refuge in myself or in God? Am I doing this on my own, or am I seeking wisdom and help? Am I following my agenda or God's agenda? We can get so busy also fighting the powers outside us that we can forget to fight the battle inside. Where do you need to turn around and ask Jesus for forgiveness?

What do you need to give up as a refuge so you can find your true refuge in him? I cut my run a little shorter this morning so I could turn back and get out of the wind. and I thought about how unnatural it can feel to give up and let go of something that seems really important. But if you chase that thing to the end and ask, what is this going to do for me in eternity? You can get a lot of perspective about making choices that really matter. Jesus came to be our refuge. When we let him be the king and authority over our desires,

he gives us refuge from lesser things that want to carry our hearts and our minds away. Let Jesus use the Psalms to train your mind and heart to take refuge in his forgiveness and live in his assurance.