"The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." — Psalm 9:9-10
"Times of trouble" are as common to the human situation as sunrise. Today most of those who read this little meditation are either in trouble of one sort or another, or troubled over someone whom they know and love who is in trouble, be it relative or friend. Job said, "Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward [Job 5:6-7]." And again, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not [Job 14:1-2]." Thanks to Adam's folly, we live in a "troubled" world.
But, thanks to God's grace, we are not without recourse in this troubled world. Years ago we had in our record collection a "country gospel" song, the chorus of which asked the pertinent question, "Where could I go… ?"
Where could I go, oh where could I go
Seeking a refuge for my soul;
Needing a friend to help me in the end
Where could I go but to the Lord?
Where, indeed, but to the Lord? The psalmist declares, the Lord is a refuge in times of trouble. That truth applies in both temporal and eternal matters. But, as our advertisers are in the habit of saying, "certain restrictions apply."
There are two pre qualifications suggested in the next verse. The promised refuge is those "that know Thy Name." The implication here is not satisfied by merely knowing the title by which the Lord is to be addressed. My wife asked me a day or two ago if I knew a certain personality who had been mentioned on the evening news. My reply was, "I know his name, but I have never met him; I do not know him personally." Far too many who are familiar with the name "God" or "Lord" know nothing more. To know Him as implied here requires much more than that. Spurgeon suggested, "By knowing His name is also meant an experimental acquaintance with the attributes of God, which are every one of them anchors to hold the soul in seasons of peril." To "know" God's name means to know Him personally, and to have cultivated a personal relationship with Him, first by calling upon His name for salvation from sin, then by developing fellowship with Him by "listening" to His word and communing with Him in prayer.
The second pre qualification is the exercise of faith in God. "They that know Thy Name will put their trust in thee." The apostle Paul declared, "… I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day [II Tim. 1:12b]." Knowledge precedes faith, or faith is blind and sterile; but, knowledge without faith is impotent. If you know Him, you will trust Him; if you do not trust Him, you do not really know Him. "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him [Heb. 11:6]."
Finally, there is the affirmation of the psalmist that amounts to a promise to you and me: "For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." This wonderful verse is echoed in the Savior's promise to His own, quoted by the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee [Heb. 13:5]." Come what may this side of heaven, this promise will hold good for those who put their trust in Him who is "able to raise [us] up, even from the dead [Heb. 11:19]."
Oppressed? Troubled? Seek the Lord and put your trust in Him who has never forsaken those who have come to know Him through faith in the Son of His love, Who died for us and rose again!
For refuge and rest,
"Pastor" Frasier
"Times of trouble" are as common to the human situation as sunrise. Today most of those who read this little meditation are either in trouble of one sort or another, or troubled over someone whom they know and love who is in trouble, be it relative or friend. Job said, "Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward [Job 5:6-7]." And again, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not [Job 14:1-2]." Thanks to Adam's folly, we live in a "troubled" world.
But, thanks to God's grace, we are not without recourse in this troubled world. Years ago we had in our record collection a "country gospel" song, the chorus of which asked the pertinent question, "Where could I go… ?"
Where could I go, oh where could I go
Seeking a refuge for my soul;
Needing a friend to help me in the end
Where could I go but to the Lord?
Where, indeed, but to the Lord? The psalmist declares, the Lord is a refuge in times of trouble. That truth applies in both temporal and eternal matters. But, as our advertisers are in the habit of saying, "certain restrictions apply."
There are two pre qualifications suggested in the next verse. The promised refuge is those "that know Thy Name." The implication here is not satisfied by merely knowing the title by which the Lord is to be addressed. My wife asked me a day or two ago if I knew a certain personality who had been mentioned on the evening news. My reply was, "I know his name, but I have never met him; I do not know him personally." Far too many who are familiar with the name "God" or "Lord" know nothing more. To know Him as implied here requires much more than that. Spurgeon suggested, "By knowing His name is also meant an experimental acquaintance with the attributes of God, which are every one of them anchors to hold the soul in seasons of peril." To "know" God's name means to know Him personally, and to have cultivated a personal relationship with Him, first by calling upon His name for salvation from sin, then by developing fellowship with Him by "listening" to His word and communing with Him in prayer.
The second pre qualification is the exercise of faith in God. "They that know Thy Name will put their trust in thee." The apostle Paul declared, "… I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day [II Tim. 1:12b]." Knowledge precedes faith, or faith is blind and sterile; but, knowledge without faith is impotent. If you know Him, you will trust Him; if you do not trust Him, you do not really know Him. "Without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him [Heb. 11:6]."
Finally, there is the affirmation of the psalmist that amounts to a promise to you and me: "For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." This wonderful verse is echoed in the Savior's promise to His own, quoted by the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee [Heb. 13:5]." Come what may this side of heaven, this promise will hold good for those who put their trust in Him who is "able to raise [us] up, even from the dead [Heb. 11:19]."
Oppressed? Troubled? Seek the Lord and put your trust in Him who has never forsaken those who have come to know Him through faith in the Son of His love, Who died for us and rose again!
For refuge and rest,
"Pastor" Frasier
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