Psalm
11:1 In the Lord I take refuge. How then
can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.
A psalm of
confidence
“Wanna get away?” That has
been the slogan for Southwest Airlines. When the rat race gets too fast, hop a
flight out of town and off to paradise you go. Our culture has become a
treadmill for everyone. They once said that the towns in the south were slow
paced. And I suppose many rural towns around the entire country are slower
paced. But no matter where you live there seems to be a sense of busyness that
no one can hide from. So how can a person slow down, catch their breath and
relax from the day to day stresses of life?
The psalmist reminds us of a
very important fact. To find rest and relaxation is never about finding a place
to flee to. You can take off to the beach with your cell phone or laptop
computer and find no rest. A day at the spa lasts eight hours and then you
return home. An afternoon at the ball game or your favorite fishing hole both
last only a few hours. Then you are back to home and life continues. The
psalmist does not teach us of any place we can go to.
He does tell us that when
life is crazy there is someone we can go to. God is the person, not a place, to
whom we can retreat and find comfort in our times of need. God is always in
control of the world around us. He alone can calm the daily seas that buffet
us.
