Scripture
Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. Psalm 16:1

Observation
Why is it that the Lord chooses to take care of us in troubled times? For one reason only: simply because we have asked for help. The psalm singer is straightforward: he expects God to rescue him simply because he is ringing the bell at God’s house. That is reason enough.

It is a tradition amongst desert nomads of the Middle East to honor hospitality as the most treasured of gifts. The thirsty desert has forced them to show kindness to any wanderer in need. If a traveler says to a sheik, “I desire the rights of a guest in your tent” that Bedouin must take him in even if he has murdered his own brother. The Lord is our sultan and if we ask for help he has bound himself to grant it to us.

We make these requests of God in times of prayer. That is obvious enough. But there are other prayers we do not know we are even praying that the Lord listens to as well. When we have an idle conversation with a friend and we grumble against the Lord and question his ability to care for us, the Lord hears that. On the other hand, when we are talking with a friend who is skeptical or nervous of God’s ability to provide and we state our confidence in the Lord to care for us even when nothing is evident, the Lord hears that as if it were a prayer.

If we need proof that the Lord listens to our idle conversations, then turn to Malachai 3:14-18

“You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.

“They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

Our private comments are public prayers to the Lord.

Application
So why do I doubt God’s ability to keep me safe and to bring me through to the other side? Because somehow I question if God is really enough, as if he were a blanket too short to cover the bed. We need to get lost in the enormity of the nature and character of God. In my Bible readings today is a passage where God tells Moses what his name is. God doesn’t give a word but a paragraph to state his name:

“Yahweh! The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34:6-7

We should not read this paragraph as individual words but as one complete word. This is the name and nature of God. When we come to the Lord for refuge we find a cavernous expanse large enough for us all all of our concerns. He is enough for us.

Prayer
Father, in you I take refuge. Hear my prayers in private and in public and demonstrate your ability to save to reveal something of the enormity of your name. Amen.