Jump Start # 1513

Psalms 32:7 “You are my hiding place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with songs of deliverance. “

  I’ve been working on memorizing verses. This is one of my latest ones. I like the concept of God surrounding us. That focus is what drew me to this verse. There are three simple statements. Each statement begins with “You.” The “you” is God. We see the activity of God. God is busy in this verse. The Psalmist recognized great help coming from the Lord.

You’ll notice in this verse that this is presented more as a prayer than a teaching. He is not talking about God. That would be “theology,” a study of God. Instead, he is talking TO God. This is a prayer. He recognizes what God has done for him. He is thankful. You have done this rather than God has done this. It seems that we’d be better off if we talked to God more than we talked about God.

You’ll also notice that God was helping the Psalmist. Three different ways the Psalmist found relief, hope and help in the Lord. Now, let’s look at these three expressions:

1. You are my hiding place. We remember playing “hide and seek” as a kid. When my boys were little, I used to take them down to the church building with me. They’d find those little tucked away places in closets to hide in. I couldn’t find them half the time. Sometimes a person hides when they are in trouble. Adam and Eve did that. But here, for the Psalmist, God was his shelter and place to go to. God was were he was finding protection. God was his hiding place. Other expressions from Psalms are rock and refuge. For the traveler out in the open who was caught in a sudden storm, a cleft in the rock was a great place to ride out the storm. God is viewed as this way. God understands. God can do things that no one else can. God is for us. Three words in this verse describe the scene and the times: hiding, trouble, deliverance. This person didn’t blame God for the trouble that was around him. He didn’t run from God. Rather, it was to God. We sing, “Take it to  the Lord in prayer.” Have you? Will you? God was his hiding place.

2. You preserve me from trouble. Preserving means to keep or save. Trouble wasn’t going to triumph. Not here. Trouble wasn’t going to win. Not now. God was preserving the Psalmist from trouble. God still does this. One way, is through the guidance of His word. His word can keep us from getting into trouble. But more so, His word gives us hope and help when trouble follows us. Jesus left us an example of one who suffered. The heroes of Hebrews 11, all suffered yet continued with God. Jesus said, ‘Do not fear the one who can kill the body and then do no more.” Trouble. Trouble follows because trouble doesn’t like Jesus. Trouble doesn’t like things that are good and right. Trouble comes upon those who walk with the Lord. Blessed are those who have been persecuted, comes from the Lord’s beatitudes. God preserves me from trouble.

3. You surround me with songs of deliverance. That’s hope! Songs of deliverance may be the victory songs of those who conquered. The Daniels, the Joshuas, the Pauls of the Bible. Great men of faith who overcame and were courageous in the Lord. Surrounded with these stories and these victory songs, encourages us and helps us. We too, can overcome. We too, are loved by the Lord. We too, can please the Lord.

You are…You preserve…You surround. God is our help. God is the one we must run to. But there is one final thought before we leave this great verse. Three statements about God compliment three personal pronouns. My hiding place…preserve me…surround me. Me. It wasn’t the nation. It wasn’t the world. It was ME. God was looking out for ME. There was much to be thankful for because of what God had done for him. He saw that God has been there for him. It was personal. It was real.

You and God. The Lord is MY shepherd.

You are my hiding place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with songs of deliverance.

Simply amazing!

Roger