Psalm 11 is illustrated by the passage 1 Samuel 18:8-19:7 where David’s life was daily in danger. Just because he was God’s anointed King, this was no protection from Saul and his mood swings! David’s friends were advising that he flee from the threat of Saul. They meant well but David knew that this was not what God wanted him to do at that time.

We always need to trust in our faithful God but especially when the going gets tough. Sadly, this seems to be the only time that some people in the world outside of our church family turn to prayer: at times of illness, distress, hurt or anger. Thankfully the Psalms are where we can turn to to express how we are feeling if we cannot find the words. Psalm 11 reassures us that our God is always in control and as I am always telling myself: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. How many times have you been in a difficult situation and then when you look back at it invariably you have learnt a valuable lesson and become stronger from it? God gives us the strength and he helps us to grow in the situations we find ourselves in. He is our strong foundation and if we stay with him, we will remain secure. As 1 Samuel 2:8-9 (NIV) tells us: “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in the darkness.” and 2 Timothy 2:19 (NIV) reassures us that “…God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with the inscription ‘The Lord knows who are his.’”

In hard times we may want to run away, but if God has put us where we are and he wants us to stay, then he will provide what we need to get through it. If we think about our problems then fear may overwhelm us, but if we pray about our problems then we know that God hears us.

Don’t let the lies and the deceit in our world weaken your faith. God always promises to protect and care for us – we just need to keep our eyes turned to him.

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If at times you cannot find the right words to pray, just open the Psalms, they contain cries for help from people generations ago and praise for the Almighty God who is our father in heaven and on earth. Hosanna in the Highest.