Run

Well, post # four. I know, I'm slow, but you can't always force creativity, right? Anyways, I just wanted to share with you what I read in my devotions this morning. It was really cool.

I was reading Psalm 84, which is really good, has lots of food for thought. But I've read it lots before, and I wanted something new this time. So I decided to do a bit of Strong's look up. Pretty easy with a very nice little iPod app...just load a chapter, then click on linked words to see the definition of the Greek or Hebrew word. So I was clicking through random verses, and didn't really get any "wow" from the process (it's happened to me before) until I came to the last verse. Even God saves the best for last :)

"O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee" (Psalm 84:12 KJV). Simple verse. Little verse. But check this out:

"blessed"

אשר

Pronunciation: 'esher

From 833; happiness; only in masculine plural construction as interjection, how happy!:--blessed, happy.

"man"
אדם
Pronunciation: 'adam
From 119; ruddy, that is, a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.):--X another, + hypocrite, + common sort, X low, man (mean, of low degree), person.

"trusteth"
בטח
Pronunciation: batach
A primitive root; properly to hie for refuge (but not so precipitately as 2620); figuratively to trust, be confident or sure:--be bold (confident, secure, sure), careless (one, woman), put confidence, (make to) hope, (put, make to) trust.

I had to look up what "hie" meant in the dictionary: "to hasten; speed; go in haste."

So, if you haven't seen it already, here's the epiphany:
"O LORD of hosts, happy is the low human that hastens for refuge in Thee."

Wow. It came slowly, but as I started to see it more I got really excited. The word "happy" just makes that part so much more...meaningful. Defining "man" as a human and a man of low degree adds a bit of solemnity to it. Aren't we all in that category, compared to God?

My favourite part was to see that "trusteth" has such a deeper, broader meaning. It reminds me of those nightmares you used to have when you were little, where the bad monsters were chasing you, and you were running, running, running, trying to find a place to hide, a safe place—a place of refuge. Oh, the relief, the comfort, the joy, when you finally got to the place where the bad monsters could no longer reach you.

This is what it means to trust in God. When I'm struggling with something—when there are bad monsters in my life: fear, discouragement, sadness, confusion, frustration, you name it—what should I do? What should you do? Run to God. Hasten to Him, and you will find refuge. But the key is this: we need to realize that we are humans of low degree. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6 KJV). If we come to Him in humility, knowing we cannot battle the bad monsters on our own, He will help us. And we need to hasten—we need to run to Him at the first sign of danger. 

Humility + running for refuge in God = happiness.