Psalm 11: Guess Who's Watching

 

The weekend Psalm
Read Psalm 11 from the World English Bible
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This is a ... Psalm.

The Big Idea
The world is not a friendly place, and there are those who mock the people of God. The last half of that first verse has the undertone of a schoolyard bully: "Yeah, Run on home to that God of yours." There is bitter mockery there.

The situation doesn't get much better in the lines that follow. They're ready to shoot, eager to take us down. They have their bow, they have the bowstring, and they have the nock of the arrow in place. Everything is ready -- and they would ambush us -- but notice this: They are shooting in the dark. They can't see to shoot straight. 

God (Yahweh) is the one who sees. He is the one who is in charge. And then he reminds us of something we'd rather not consider. We've got people taking shots at us, and even the righteous ones are powerless, too. We don't have the right--or even the ability--to play the trump card of "God is on our side." We are not in control of things: God is.

Meditation
When our own tendency is to want to make things right, God is in the business of examining our hearts. If that sounds intimidating, it should be, and in fact, it should strike a note of terror. 

It's a good terror, though. God hates the wicked, to the point that he won't even look at them. It's worth a little thought that God watches them, but will not look at them. Better to be known by a God who examines every detail of our lives, rather than watched at by a God who hates our actions, and will ultimately bring about justice (in the grandest, most transcendent sense). 

It's sometimes troubling that God's ideals of goodness and holiness get in the way of our own life and preferences. That's why this Psalm is so important: God watches, God sees, and God is in control. We are not. And that is a call to humility, repentance, and prayer.

As my beloved wife puts it: "God is in charge, and I am not. I don't have to like it, but I do have to submit to His authority."

Praying With This Psalm
The focus of our prayer in Psalm 11 must be our own weakness, powerlessness, and helplessness. It reminds us of the greatness and goodness of God, and the fact that he is sovereign over everything. 

• Almighty God, may we remember that you are in control. You are reigning from your holy temple. 
• Oh, Yahweh, examine _____.  Purify _____ before your presence.
• Lord God, you said that the righteous will see your face. May that be true of ______. Purify their heart, and may they see your face, your goodness, and your grace. 
  

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• Proverbs 3:5-6 -- May ____ trust in God above all, and not on _____'s own understanding. May they trust the road ahead to God alone.
  
• John 14:4-7 -- May _____ know that Jesus wants them with him. May they understand that Jesus is the way the truth and the life, and the only way into God's presence.
• I Peter 3:13-14 -- May ____ know the value of doing good, and be comforted by the fact that even when things do not go well, that God is with his people. 
• 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 -- May ____ turn from idols and false gods to the one living and true God. May _____ seek Jesus Christ, who delivers us from the wrath to come, 

(C) 2009-2021, L. J. Helgerson, PhD.
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