Psalm 10
Distant. Apart. A ways off. Detached. Withdrawn. Remote. How many times have I asked God, “why do You stand so far away?” Why do You hide in times of trouble?” Perhaps it’s just the way I’m wired, maybe it’s the habits of mind I’ve acquired. The Psalmist asks the question and yet in the same prayer, the writer acknowledges, “But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands. The helpless entrusts himself to You; You are a helper of the fatherless.” (Psalm 10:14, HCSB).
Two images capture my attention. First, God ‘takes matters into His own hands.’ In my striving to lessen the distance I feel from God, He has taken the initiative by implanting in me His Holy Spirit. He offers Himself to me without reservation. Second, God is a ‘helper’ of the fatherless (see also Psalm 68:53, 82:3, 146:9). A father plays many roles in life. Provider, protector, peace-maker (I had two siblings while growing up and my parents adopted a child when I turned 20), and pattern. Many of those around us have never truly experienced a father. To those, and even for those whose earthly fathers were godly men, God offers Himself in the role of father.
Yes, there are days, weeks, and months when the wicked – defined in biblical Hebrew as one who threatens and takes life, one who disrupts the community – seem to push us farther and farther from God. In those moments when God seems distant take advantage of the truth – God is present at every moment in your life, and God will be for you all you need Him to be.
WINSTON COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH 