PREVIEW: California is known for its earthquakes. And everybody, in theory at least, knows the preferred place to go when one of those infamous quakes hits. So do the righteous! When big spiritual quakes or even little tremors hit, we know to go to the Unshakeable One. When the foundations are being destroyed, he is in the place where the foundations are eternal. Those foundations were here before the earth was even created, and they will be here long after this old earth fades from view. And we have this promise (Psalm 11:7) that is as sure as God himself: “The upright will see his face.”
A Journey of Worship // Psalm 11:3,7
When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? … For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
In some translations, you might find a footnote to verse 3 that suggests a possible alternative reading: “When the foundations are being destroyed, what is the Righteous One doing?” The ancient Hebrew manuscript is unclear as to which reading is exact, but the preferred choice of the modern editors of scripture was to choose the rendering I have used for this devotional.
Both possibilities are correct. Whichever way it reads, whether it is “the righteous” who are looking for guidance in times of trouble or it is “the Righteous One” we are wondering about, the question is answered in the rest of the psalm, especially the verse that follows, verse 4. When the foundation are being destroyed,
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
That is the confidence we have in times of insecurity and instability: God is in the unshakeable place; He is the Unshakeable One. He is the One to whom we run when the foundations are being destroyed:
In the Lord I take refuge. (Psalm 11:1)
I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years, where fault lines run throughout the area like fingers branching off your hand. My home was literally just two or three blocks off the Calaveras Fault Line. During our time there, we endured a few minor shocks — enough to keep you reminded of the possibility of the “big one.” And if you live in California, everybody, in theory at least, knows the preferred place to go when one of those infamous California earthquakes hits.
So do the righteous! When big ones and little ones hit, we go to the Unshakeable One. When the foundations are being destroyed, he is in the place where the foundations are eternal. Those foundations were here before the earth was even created, and they will be here long after this old earth fades from view. And we have this promise (Psalm 11:7) that is as sure as God himself:
“For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.”
The next time you experience a tremor, go where you are supposed to go. Go to the Unshakeable One and claim your place of safety.
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