In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!
Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me; a strong fortress to save me!
For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.v.1-5
I’ve been staring at these five verses for the last 20 minutes.
Well…staring at them, checking Instagram, staring at them, opening my email, staring at them…just…well…avoiding the work.
You see, writing is sacred space for me. It’s holy ground that God has invited me to stand on with Him, exploring who He is, who I am, and discovering how we’re going to live this life together.
And sometimes I have nothing.
No place to start.
No words to write.
No sentences to form.
And tonight has been one of those nights.
I didn’t think I had anything to offer, so I avoided the sacred arena God has invited me in to.
And underneath that, I think there’s a strange hint of shame – believing the lie that this time will be the time I have nothing to offer. This time will be the time people read and think, “Welp, she’s lost her stuff, so never gonna read that again!”
A tinge of unworthiness creeps in and starts to close the door.
But then I come back to these 5 verses I’ve been staring at, and shame gets a nice slap in the face.
It is the LORD that I take refuge in – not myself or my words or my real good sentences that have perfect structure and never run on and on without purpose. 🙂
It is God who delivers me by His righteousness, for His name’s sake, not allowing shame to take over.
The snares and traps that are hidden by the enemy, well, He plucks me up right out of them – because of His great love for me. He is my rock and my fortress – nothing can overtake me when Yahweh is the guardian of my life.
I love that the beginning of this psalm is all declaration – who God is, what He has done, and what the writer needs Him to continue to be. There is a lot of confidence in this God we believe in, the One whom all of our hope and faith relies on.
So, when I’m afraid of the sacred, holy arena God extends the invite to join Him in, I hope to take a page from this psalmist and demand the He rescue me speedily. Because He is a redemptive, faithful God, and I’d rather commit myself to no-one else.
Whatever your sacred space is, step in to it this week, knowing that the Faithful One is and will forever be your refuge and comfort, and shame has no bearing when He is the rock on which you stand.
Kayla Smith 