Psalm 11 Quitting
In his great book about the American West, "Men to Match My Mountains," Irving Stone writes about a mine in Leadville, CO. In 1877 a successful prospector bought the Robert E. Lee mine for $16,000. He then hired a crew and sank a shaft more than a hundred feet deep without finding any ore. When another group of prospectors offered him $30,000 for his mine he sent word down the shaft for his crew to pick up its tools and quit. The men down below were in the process of drilling a hole and putting the dynamite in. They asked the boss if they couldn't shoot just this once more. "No, come up!" replied Dexter. "I won't put another cent into this hole." The new owners "shot" Dexter's last hole. When the smoke cleared they found they had exposed a vein of silver so pure that in 24 hours they had mined ninety-five tons of ore worth $118,500. The cost of bringing this fortune to the surface was exactly $60.
We are all faced with times when we want to quit and throw in the towel like poor Dexter. It could be at work, in relationships, it could even be in following Jesus. In Psalm 11 David was tempted to quit. Like archers hiding under cover to ambush their prey, they waited for David with murder in their eyes. Their wickedness had made them ruthless; their superior weapons gave them confidence; their secure hiding place strengthened their nerve. The odds were overwhelmingly against the psalmist. He must run.
But was it time to quit and run? The answer is a resounding "NO." There is no hopeless situation when God is in the equation. God was watching over this entire situation from his heavenly throne. When we face the trials of life, we are never alone, never!!
Psalm 11:7 For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.
These words are the key to David's faith. He is no naïve optimist. He's not singing Mary Poppins song about remembering her favorite things and then I don't feel so bad. The problems are real, but so is the presence of God. The key is to see every problem from the view of the "temple." The temple view allows us to hear God's words, count on God's presence and see his salvation.
In every one of your difficult situations the same saving God is present. Believe in him. Trust in his presence. His eyes examine everything that is going on. Nothing escapes his observation. It is the presence of God that changes us from quitters to finishers. I don't know what struggle you are going through, I am telling you that the eyes of the Lord are just as sharp today as they were in David's day. Don't quit.
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