A Road Map for Life | Beginning With GodSample

WHAT CAN WE DO? (Psalm 11)

When God asks a question, He is not looking for information. He already has all the answers.

A question from the Lord is a probing question to help us to identify what our great need is, where we are, where we need to be. Questions lead us back to the God of all answers.

When you come to Psalm 11, you find one of these divine questions — and it is a fascinating question.

I’m sure you have heard verse 3 quoted before: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” We all understand that foundations are very important. If you don’t believe me, look at a house that has been built on a poor foundation and see the cracks that have begun to appear over time. It is more than just a little settling; there is a total shifting.

That is what we see in our world today. We see it in families, churches and individual lives. It seems the foundations of society, decency and family are being destroyed. We are overwhelmed and in desperate condition.

It may seem like Ps. 11:3 is implying that if all these foundations crumble, there is nothing left for us to do. But that is not the context of the question. It is meant to teach us that our foundations are never destroyed. As the very next verse states, “The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven.”

Here is the great principle. If you are a person who is right with God, your foundation is not earthly; it is heavenly. Your foundation is not man, but God. Your foundation is not changeable according to circumstances; your foundation is an unchanging God. In other words, your foundation is in another place.

As the Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” According to II Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.”

Think about it. God’s temple, His throne, His foundation. Is it going anywhere?

If your foundation is in government, you are going to be disappointed. If your foundation is in the promises of man, even the best of men, at some point you are going to be very disillusioned. But if you are building your life on the unchanging foundation of God, it will never crumble. It will never change.

We believe that Psalm 11 was written when David was advised to flee to the mountains. You may recall the story in I Samuel 19, when Saul had turned on David and he had to flee for his life. Jonathan and his other friends advised him to get as far away from Saul as possible and head for the mountains.

Carefully read the words of the seven verses in this psalm:

“In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.”

Here is the point. Some well-intentioned friends had told David, “Take your life in your own hands.” And David said to them, “No, my life is in much greater hands. My life is in God's hands.”

His friends said, “Remove yourself from these circumstances; run to the mountain, hide somewhere in the caves.” David said, “Regardless of where I am geographically, I am hiding in the Lord.”

David had an accurate view of where his safety and his strength came from.

Think of this. David sat in a palace, a beautiful place, but Saul was trying to kill him. His friends told him he needed a change of geography, but the Lord was teaching David to wait on God and live by faith.

That brings us back to the question posed in verse 3: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” If your foundation is in the Lord it will never be destroyed.

Psalm 11 and Psalm 12 actually work together. You will find from time to time when studying the book of Psalm that some are placed strategically next to each other to carry on the same theme. As for the question in verse 3, both psalms provide the answer.

1. We can trust in the Lord. That is what David said he did. The first part of the solution, is found in Psalm 11:1, "In the Lord put I my trust:"

The greatest danger in life is not the enemy. It is the temptation to live by sight instead of by faith. You must learn to trust that God has you where you are supposed to be. Everyone told David to get out of the place where he was, but he believed that God put him right where he was. Spiritual attacks will come. Arrows will be flying. Enemies will be taunting. Sometimes we even want to fly away. I am reminded of Ps. 55:6, in which the psalmist said, “Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.”

But simply flying away does not mean you would be at rest. Your rest must be found in the Lord — and your faith in Him!

Escape is not the answer. With the Lord, the victory is not after the battle; the victory is in the battle. The peace does not come after the storm subsides; the peace comes in the midst of the storm. If you want to rest when it seems like everything is shaking and being destroyed around you, trust in the Lord and rest in Him.

You have to trust that God is where He is supposed to be. David lifted his eyes above the earthly throne to the heavenly throne, above the earthly king to the heavenly King. He recognized that some foundations are never going to be removed.

Let me stay where God is today. He is right where He has always been. He is on the throne of the universe. He has His eye on you and your life is in His hand.

Revelation 21 tells us about the wall of New Jerusalem and that it has 12 foundations. There is a beautiful symbolism here to remind us that anything God builds is always on a solid foundation that is not going anywhere.

Friend, if your life is being built on the Lord, things may shake and you may even have some fears. Many people will give you counsel and advice on how to handle the chaos, but get your eyes back on the Lord and realize He had His eye on you all along. His foundation is never going to be destroyed.