Psalm 69:1-6
1 In you, LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
2 In your justice rescue and deliver me; listen to me and save me!
3 Be my rock and refuge, my secure stronghold; for you are my rock and fortress.
4 My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of the violent.
5 You are my hope, Lord; my trust, GOD, from my youth.
6 On you I depend since birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength; my hope in you never wavers.
What a relationship David had with God. He wasn’t perfect, but he was always faithful. He gave praise to God in good times and bad. God was his strength, his refuge, and his friend. In my opinion, truly seeing God as your refuge and protector is a result of spiritual maturity, of completely giving control over to God, and completely trusting in him.
Guys by nature are fixers. We want to “be the man,” be the protector and ruler of our own kingdoms. It’s difficult for us to completely trust God and turn over control to Him. And yet that’s exactly what God wants us to do. For me, giving over control to God doesn’t come natural at all.
One thing that has worked with me is to begin with little things. If something is bothering you, and if it’s something you truly can’t control, just give it over to God and stop worrying about it. Keep track of it, then after a while take a look and see what happened. The times I’ve done this, I’ve demonstrated to myself that I’ve lost nothing, and in many cases have gained, by giving up control to God. I’m a scientist, and I need to see the data.
In the last few months I’ve been doing this more and more, with bigger and bigger issues. And my experience is that when I give up control to God, I am always protected, and I am usually rewarded – often in a way that I couldn’t have expected.
