What kind of bird are you?

I recently picked back up the "Treasury of David" commentary during my quiet times. It is a commentary written by C.H. Spurgeon on The Psalms. I highly recommend it. It is also very timely. As of yesterday, my precious 22 month old niece has been hospitalized. She has had some health problems over the last month and they now feel the urgent need to hospitalize her to be able to test her. You can all be praying for her and and her parents. As I struggle with the anxiety that comes when one you love is suffering, God has brought me Psalm 11 and the "Treasury."

 Spurgeon calls this chapter "The Song of the Steadfast"-an account of the temptation to distrust God. (Also an account of my last 12 hours!) 

The first verse says "In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul "Flee like a bird to your mountain..."  David is speaking to those who were tempting him to flee in the face of suffering. I picture hundreds of birds sitting in a tree. You have all seen it before. All it takes is one branch cracking, one shuffle of leaves, to send the hundreds of birds to flight. That is how my flesh is. It doesn't take much of a temptation at all to tempt me to flee God's safety.  David's "friends" go on to describe to him in detail the real danger coming at home, the reason he logically MUST FLEE! David's response is "The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes see.."  As Spurgeon put's it " David would rather dare the danger then exhibit a distrust in the Lord His God." 

I am tempted to dwell on the real and valid possibilities for my sweet niece. My flesh taunts me with the possible suffering ahead and tells me , FLEE! FLEE! fly to your mountain where you can find safety. The only problem is that there is never real safety at my mountain. Only more fear, anxiety, depression and worst of all NO FAITH.  So I say, "no flesh!," I will not flee out of fear to my mountain!!! Instead I will say like Habakkuk 3:19 "God, the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places." I will let God take me to the high places, let Him ready my feet for the journey ahead. Instead of fleeing out of fear, I will trust God who sits on His throne. Spurgeon said "Let us have done with by ways and short turning and let us keep to that fair path of right along which Jehova's smile shall light us." 

Next time you are tempted to distrust, and the temptation is so real it becomes your reality- Ask yourself what kind of bird you are going to be. Are you going to flee? Or will you sit, 

wait, and trust?