Psalm 57:1

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."

Thanks to brother Jim Boyd for bringing this psalm before us in his message this past Sunday. Historically, this psalm was written when David was running for his life from King Saul. Saul twice attempted to kill David, making it clear that he didn't like David around. By God's hand, David escaped both attempts. In his escape, he found himself in a cave, hiding from Saul. And while in the cave, he wrote Psalm 57. The wonderful picture that is given here is that of a hen gathering her chicks. This behavior occurs when danger arises. In this way the hen cares for her chicks, attempting to shield them from the danger that is threatening. In like manner, David expresses his relationship with the LORD. The LORD provides that sheltering wing, and there is safety in danger.

But what does safety look like? It is called a shadow; "... in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge...." Sometimes the darkest days for us as believers are those in which we are in trials, and it feels as if God has abandoned us. It is the shadow of His wings that we are experiencing. Other scriptures speak of God's approach, and the attendant darkness. Clouds, and smoke and darkness characterize the approach of God in many cases. So it is in our dark days. They prove to be the times when we really are closest to Him. We are under His wings, as close to Him as we can get.

What does the chick do when he is sheltered in this way by the hen? He stays put! He doesn't ask a million questions, or attempt to look out from under the shelter. Neither does he attempt to run away. He knows that the safest place of all is in that shadow next to his mother. And if she says or does nothing else, he has that safety. So it must be with us. Simply the nearness of God's presence, whether we feel it or not, should be enough to content us in the wildest storms. And there we must stay until we know it is again safe to venture out (until these calamities be overpast). Until it is safe, we need to silently wait in that place of refuge.

There are many ways in which our current calamities may be "overpast." We prefer to have a situation fixed in our lifetime. That which causes us heartache we would like to see resolved, and the sooner the better. That is certainly one way in which our calamities will be "overpast." Another possible scenario, though, is that the calamity will not be over until the day we step into eternity. That means living the rest of our lives on earth with this trouble. That seems like an unsatisfactory resolution, doesn't it? Certainly, to be in the presence of our LORD is a wonderful prospect. But we would rather find some happiness in this life, too. But the fact is that the trial may never go away in our lifetime. The fact also is that there is no gaurentee from our LORD of happiness in this life. We are used to living this life, and have no real experience with any other. So we desire what we have here and now to be the best it can be. Scripture makes it very clear, though, that eternity far surpasses this life. So do we stay put (trusting in our LORD's presence), or attempt to take matters into our own hands? The fact is that we are NEVER out of His presence.

Ultimately, though, spiritual outcomes are secure. There is one thing that will surely happen to the true believer; we will be in His presence for eternity. We do have the certainty of being accepted into heaven. There is no event in our lives on this earth that can change that. Nothing will take us away from God's love and care. The seventy years of this life are as nothing when compared with the everlasting eternity that awaits us. So while our trials loom large, they will one day not even come to our thinking. Let us learn to stay in the refuge, and trust Him in all things, even if it means waiting a lifetime.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake

HJK