Don’t Fly Like a Bird

“In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, flee like a bird to your mountain” (Psalm 11:1).

The Lord is our provider during times of need. God’s protection and provision is sufficient. What a beautiful contrast to the ways of the world. David doesn’t turn to the counsel of men, he doesn’t turn to his own intuition, he doesn’t turn to the diagnosis of his therapist, etc. He looks to God for real help.

You get a hint of the world’s counsel to him – “How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain’.” He was being told to take the easy way out and not exercise faith in God.

This leads us to believe that David is surprised and perhaps even upset that anyone would even tell him to do this. It’s like David was thinking, “If I have a full trust in God during trouble, why would anyone tell me to run away and not trust Him? Why am I being told to just run from my troubles? There is a better way!”

David was a tested man, was he not? He fought with lions and bears (I Samuel 17); he fought Goliath (I Samuel 17); he was chased all over Israel by King Saul (I Samuel 19-31); he faced civil wars (II Samuel 3); he was chased by angry Philistines (II Samuel 5); he had a rebellious son who wanted his head (II Samuel 13). David had plenty of opportunities to flee trouble.

The easy thing to do when trouble comes is just to run from it. That is what the disciples did after Jesus’ arrest is the Garden of Gethsemane. They fled. They fled like “a bird to your mountain.” They took the easy road.

God knows that, in our flesh, we will fly like birds to the mountain; He knows that in our flesh we will take the easy way out every time. Thus, God challenges us to allow trials in our life to force us to rely on Him – One who is bigger than the accumulation of all of our troubles.

Some of our most sanctifying moments in the Christian life are when we are staring in the face of a trouble that will defeat us and we realize that we are not alone. We realize an all-powerful, wise, sovereign God is with us. In every temptation – and especially during the most difficult of times – God provides for our needs. He provides “the way of escape.” (I Corinthians 10:13). God is in the trouble, so why run from Him?