Psalm 71:1-6
Preaching
A Journey Through the Psalms: Reflections for Worried Hearts and Troubled Times
Preaching the Psalms Cycles A, B, C
Most people, at one time or another, have had the regrettable experience of needing refuge. Untold millions around this war-ripped world are literally refugees, whose lives are shattered as they are uprooted and left bereft of home, family, and any visible means of sustenance. Countless women around the world suffer from the brutality of abuse by their male partners and are in need of refuge. Each day the numbers of homeless poor on the streets of America grows and grows. They, too, need refuge.
The great likelihood is that most of the people reading these words will not require refuge in the way that those described above require it. Most will be able to understand the need. If not literally because of war or physical conflict, many have experienced a need for refuge within the context of human relationships. It could be conflict at work or within the family. It might be strife in the neighborhood or within the church congregation. A job can be lost, a loved one can pass away, calamity can strike in the form of a crippling disease -- the list is endless. No matter how or where it occurs, most people know what it feels like to need a refuge in times of struggle. Most people know what it feels like to be in need of rescue.
The psalm under consideration here offers God as rescuer and refuge. This, of course, is a good thing. The hope is that people of faith everywhere would be able to embrace God as a "rock of refuge," in times of need. Moreover, the persistent hope would be that God would not be the rescuer of last resort. In other words, it would be a wonderful thing if God would be among the first resources reached for when trouble raises its head.
It's a good bet, though, that that is not usually the case. When strife or trouble comes home to roost, most folks run through the gamut of other available options before turning in desperation to God. Friends, family, lawyers, bosses, cops, and even preachers are more likely to be sought out before God is turned to as a rescuer.
The question begs asking. Why is that? Is it that faith is not strong enough? Is it that trust -- or belief fails? Perhaps so. But it is more likely that God becomes the rescuer of last resort because there is no habit, no discipline, no practice of turning to God when times are pretty good. Could it be that the starting place for such holy refuge is as simple as the discipline of daily prayer? Is it feasible that a life that is practiced in turning to God in praise and celebration will more readily reach for that same God when the cause for celebration evaporates and trouble takes its place?
What if, as this psalmist indicates, God was the source of hope and help since the earliest days of childhood? Perhaps then, the consolation and refuge of the holy might well be present even as trouble knocks at the door. Maybe then the resources to deal with what life brings might all be a little easier to locate.
The great likelihood is that most of the people reading these words will not require refuge in the way that those described above require it. Most will be able to understand the need. If not literally because of war or physical conflict, many have experienced a need for refuge within the context of human relationships. It could be conflict at work or within the family. It might be strife in the neighborhood or within the church congregation. A job can be lost, a loved one can pass away, calamity can strike in the form of a crippling disease -- the list is endless. No matter how or where it occurs, most people know what it feels like to need a refuge in times of struggle. Most people know what it feels like to be in need of rescue.
The psalm under consideration here offers God as rescuer and refuge. This, of course, is a good thing. The hope is that people of faith everywhere would be able to embrace God as a "rock of refuge," in times of need. Moreover, the persistent hope would be that God would not be the rescuer of last resort. In other words, it would be a wonderful thing if God would be among the first resources reached for when trouble raises its head.
It's a good bet, though, that that is not usually the case. When strife or trouble comes home to roost, most folks run through the gamut of other available options before turning in desperation to God. Friends, family, lawyers, bosses, cops, and even preachers are more likely to be sought out before God is turned to as a rescuer.
The question begs asking. Why is that? Is it that faith is not strong enough? Is it that trust -- or belief fails? Perhaps so. But it is more likely that God becomes the rescuer of last resort because there is no habit, no discipline, no practice of turning to God when times are pretty good. Could it be that the starting place for such holy refuge is as simple as the discipline of daily prayer? Is it feasible that a life that is practiced in turning to God in praise and celebration will more readily reach for that same God when the cause for celebration evaporates and trouble takes its place?
What if, as this psalmist indicates, God was the source of hope and help since the earliest days of childhood? Perhaps then, the consolation and refuge of the holy might well be present even as trouble knocks at the door. Maybe then the resources to deal with what life brings might all be a little easier to locate.
