What can the righteous do?

In the LORD I take refuge.

How can you say to my soul,

“Flutter like a bird to your mountain,

For behold, the wicked draw the bow,

they have readied their arrows on the string

to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.

When the foundations are being destroyed,

What can the righteous do?”

The LORD is in His holy temple;

the LORD’s throne is in heaven.

His eyes see, His eyelids examine the sons of men.

Psalm 11:1-4

The news depresses me. Global disasters, injustice, tales of moral compromise in leaders, terrorism, tragedies small and large, and sordid celebrity gossip all make me feel like the psalmist. The world does sometimes feel dark and gloomy, because evildoers don’t have to fight fair but righteous people do—and are beset by evil on every side. Tempting indeed are the voices that say, “This culture is a cesspool and getting worse. Let’s create an alternative Christian culture and live in that – we can have Christian music, Christian books, Christian schools, Christian neighbourhoods that will be safe and moral.” In other words, Christian souls, flutter away like birds and retreat to your mountain where you will be safe, protected from the ravages of a hostile culture. The psalmist’s response encourages me because it reminds me that I take refuge not in surrounding myself with ‘safe’ people and wholesome cultural goods; no, I take refuge in the LORD. The LORD in whom I trust to vindicate the righteous reigns from heaven. I love the repetition in v.4 – God’s eyes see the evil that lurks in the shadows; even his eyelids—the quick as a blink glances from his eyes—suffice to examine people. Nobody can pull the wool over these eyes—and therein lies my hope. I can keep living a Godward life in the midst of whatever situation I’m in, because however strong and undenounced wickedness might seem to be, the LORD will bring judgment and the righting of all wrongs, and on that day, the face that sees me will be the face I at last see (v.7). So in the face of systemic and individual evil, where I feel like a naked bird threatened by multitudinous bows, will I fly away? Or will I stay and persevere in righteousness? Lord, help me act in faith.