Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Living At Peace | The Writings | Psalm 11

Episode Date: January 15, 2024

Life is full of plot twists. How do you respond to them? Psalm 11 offers hope in times of anxiety and uncertainty. Listen to today's episode as Keith describes how God's nearness leads to peace. 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 11

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 Keith Simon. Was there a movie you were scared of as a kid? I don't mean some horror flick that you probably shouldn't have been watching, but more a movie that you were scared of even though you probably shouldn't have been. I was scared to death of the Wizard of Oz. I think it was supposed to be a kid's show,

but The Wicked Witch and the Flying Monkeys sent me to bed with lots of nightmares. You know the story of the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy ends up in Oz, but she wants to leave and go back home to Kansas. She's told to go see the Wizard of Oz, who can grant her her wish. And along the way, to meet the Wizard, she meets the scarecrow, and finds out that he wants brains, the Tin Man wants a heart, and the Lion wants courage. So all four of them go see the Wizard, hoping that the Wizard will give them what they really want. Well, at the end of the story, Dorothy and her friends finally reached the Emerald City,

and they're granted a meeting with the mysterious wizard. When they enter into the wizard's chamber, they initially see this giant figure surrounded by fire and smoke with this loud and threatening voice. And it sends them all into a state of fear and panic. This is the great and powerful wizard, the ruler of all Oz, who they believe will be able to give them what they desperately want. But that's where the plot twist comes in, because it turns out he can't give them anything they want. Dorothy's little dog Toto pulls the curtain back in the corner of the room and it's revealed that the great powerful wizard

is really just this ordinary dude using machines and illusions to act like he's more powerful than he really is. Or as the scarecrow puts it, the man isn't a wizard, he's a humbug. Life is full of plot twists like that. I'm sure you've had plot twists in your life. Some are positive, like maybe you got a lucky break and your career really took off.

Or after years of being unsuccessful and having a child you were able to adopt. A plot twist is when something unexpected changes in your story. We see a plot twist in Psalm 11, which is the Psalm we're going to be looking at today. At the beginning of Psalm 11, David is remembering a conversation he had with some of his advisors during a tumultuous time of his reign. This is how it starts. Verse 1. In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me, flee like a bird to your mountain? For look, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows against the strings to shoot the shadows at the upright and heart.

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? King David's advisors are warning him to flee from his throne in Jerusalem because of the threats that are being made against him. In the advisor's eyes, there's no chance that David will be victorious and defeat his enemies. In fact, for them, David's best case scenario would be to run away from his kingdom and his responsibilities and high. This prompts their question in verse 3. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? This is David's Wizard of Oz moment. David is standing in front of the fire and smoke.

His enemy seemed to be more powerful than he is. His back is against the wall, and there's a slim chance of survival. It seems like his best option is to run and hide. It seems like this will be the end of his reign as king. But if all this is true, why is David at peace? Let's look again at verse one. David says, in the Lord, I take refuge. How then can you say to me, flee like a bird to your mountain?

David is confused about why his advisors are so worried. Everyone is looking at the same set of circumstances here. The advisors are panicking and David is at peace. This is a good reminder that we don't really live by the facts of our life but by our interpretation of the facts. David interprets his situation very differently than the advisors do. He says, look, you can flee to the mountains, but I'm going to trust in the Lord. And David's surprised that his advisors are telling him to flee.

Maybe there's someone in your life that stirs up panic in your heart, who tells you that you're vulnerable and that you need to take matters into your own hands and that you can't trust God with whatever you're facing. Well, in verse 4, we experienced the plot twist and find out why David is able to be at peace while others aren't. In the Wizard of Oz, Toto, the dog, pulls back the curtain of reality. But in Psalm 11, David is the one to pull back the curtain, and he reveals to his advisors what's really going on behind the scenes. He says this in verse 4. The Lord is in his holy temple.

The Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth. His eyes examine them. The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. On the wicked he will rain down fiery coals and burning sulfur. A scorching wind will be there a lot. for the Lord is righteous, he loves justice, the upright will see his face. When David pulls back the curtain, he sees the Lord in his temple and on his throne. In the Old Testament, the temple was the place God dwelt on earth in a unique way. So when David states that God is in his temple and that God is on his heavenly throne, he's reminding himself and anyone who will listen to him of two important things.

The first thing is that God is with him. That's the temple part. He's making sure that we know that in the middle of the chaos, in the middle of all the plot twists of life, we are never alone. The God who created the world, the God who loves us is with us. There's a lot of power in that little word with. Because God is with me, I don't need to fear. And then the second thing it tells us is that God rules over all things. That's the throne part.

In fact, God rules over the very things that we're afraid of. So David says that he's not afraid, that he can actually be at peace, not because everything is going smoothly, but because God is king and God is with him in the middle of the chaos. And verse four shows us that God isn't in control from a distance. No, he sees and it says he examines everything that happens on earth. God knows what's happening to you right now. Not only does he know what's happening to you right now, but he knows what happened to you yesterday and he knows what's going to happen to you tomorrow. See, God is not aloof or indifferent to what you're facing. He's never taken by surprise by some sort of plot twist in your life.

You know how new parents have those baby monitors that they set up in the child's room that allows them to watch their child at all times? They love their child so much that they don't want that child to be out of their view. They want to make sure that child's okay. Well, that's kind of what God has set up for you. I mean, you're always on God's monitor. He's always watching over you. He's always aware of everything that's going on in your environment.

But more than that, God sees into your heart. He doesn't just see your physical enemies. He sees all your spiritual enemies. So David is reminding us that we have a relationship with an active and personal God, a God who knows us, a God who loves us, a God who watches over us, a God who protects us, a God who has promised to reward the righteous and destroy the wicked. And because of this, David is able to live as a non-anxious presence, even in the midst of chaotic circumstances.

Now, is that how you would describe yourself? Would you describe yourself as being able to live in the midst of plot twists and chaos and remain non-anxious, remain at peace? When the foundations are being destroyed, where do you turn? In the face of fire and smoke, how do you respond? I mean, maybe for you, the fire and smoke comes when you look at the state of our our world today. The rates of clinical anxiety, loneliness, depression, suicide, they're all on the rise in the West. And now we're entering into another election season. And here come all the political

tensions, and here come the culture wars, as each side tries to convince their followers that the future of the country is at stake. And then add to that the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas, those wars have left a trail of death and destruction. Or maybe for you, you're experiencing the fire and smoke in a more personal way. Maybe you lost your job or you're struggling to pay the bills. Maybe you're caught in the middle of family drama or a messy divorce. Maybe your relationship with your kids isn't where you hoped it would be, where you know it should be. I mean, the list is kind of endless. Because we live in a broken and sinful world, we're all facing the fire and smoke in some way. And we will continue to face it until Jesus returns and brings his kingdom

from heaven to earth. But in the meantime, how can we, like David, learn to be a non-anxious presence in the midst of an anxious world? I think the first way to become a non-anxious presence is through the habit and practice of prayer. Prayer is the act of engaging with God, with our heart, mind, and soul. When we pray, we are reminding ourselves that God is with us, he knows what is going on in our life, he loves us, he cares about us, and he is in control. After all, that's why we're praying. We're surrendering. We're surrendering. our selves to him. Now, if you're like me, you might be tempted to think that there's just kind of one way to pray. Bow your head, close your eyes, and do a one to two-minute dialogue.

Not too short so that God knows you care, but not too long where you're just babbling like the pagans. But throughout history, Christian prayers come in all shapes and sizes. There's journaling or writing down your prayers like David did in the Psalms, or there's contemplative prayer where you might sit in silence for a while and just remind yourself that God is with you. Or maybe you pray through a verse of the Bible or memorize parts of Scripture. See, here's the deal. The method of prayer is not the point. The point is to engage with God.

And as we make it a habit of spending time with Him, we'll more deeply know and trust his power and presence in our lives, even in times of difficulty, even in chaos, even in suffering. Ultimately, prayer is a way of pulling back the curtain on reality to remind ourselves that God is on his throne. Another way to become a non-anxious presence is by investing in Christian community. We need friends in our life who remind us of God's love for us and encourage us in times of trouble. David had Jonathan. Paul had Silas and Timothy. Naomi had Ruth. Moses had Aaron. Adam had Eve.

Esther had Mordecai. These aren't just surface-level friends or people you might hang out with from time to time. While those are a great type of friends to have, we all need at least one or two friends in our lives who consistently point us to Jesus and help us tear back the curtain on reality to remind us that God is with us and God is on his throne. About a thousand years after King David penned Psalm 11, the Apostle John wrote a letter to followers of Jesus who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire. They were facing persecution for their faith and allegiance to Christ. In the letter, John tells the churches that he had a vision where Jesus himself tore back the curtain of reality for John and revealed to him what was really going on behind the scenes. This is why the letter is called

the Book of Revelation, because the true things are revealed. And in Revelation chapter four and five, John gets a glimpse of the heavenly throne room when he sees Jesus, the lamb that was slain, sitting on his throne, examining and judging the world. So just like David did in Psalm 11, John provides a plot twist for the churches facing persecution. Yes, they are facing the fire and smoke. It seems like all is lost and their backs are up against the wall. But if you pull back the curtain, what you'll find is that Jesus is still on his throne. And even death itself will not be able to separate you from his love.

Although Revelation was written 2,000 years ago, its message is still true for Christians today. though the nations rage and people plot in vain God has established his king king Jesus on his throne he is with you he loves you he is in control therefore live at peace