“O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.”
Ps.7:1
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.” Heb. 4:15
The sturdy and worn black Bible this morning opened to a woman wired with anxiety, wrought up by responsibilities not hers to carry alone.
First, it spoke the words about Jesus, a high priest who not only knows her weaknesses, but feels deep compassion with her. (How reassuring that good news was to this poor woman!).
And then, it made the woman wonder – was Jesus ever tempted by anxiety? Tempted to take on too much responsibility for the world’s happiness? She thought about the temptation in the wilderness. She thought about his life as God in flesh. Yes, it is possible, she supposed. And then she remembered – the Bible would not proclaim this so confidently if it weren’t true.
Already, the body unwinding, settling into the hope.
Then, the Word unfolded one of its strange Psalms, the ones a little perplexing for us to understand.
The woman reacted…
Yes, I need to take refuge in God. For what do I need to take refuge?
Anxiety. Does anxiety seem like a pursuer that might like a lion tear my soul apart? Yup. That’s exactly how it feels.
The Word asked, “Then, is it possible, given the entirety of my history and message, that you can rest in this hope too?”
Oh, man. “Rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.” Yes, that is how sin operates on the soul. That is how giving into the temptation to believe that it’s all up to me will leave me.
May that woman and all women and any men who feel deep anxiety know that the good news of the gospel is true for all of us today. He knows our hearts. He knows how easily we fall into the trap of thinking we’re all there is. And he knows the wired and weary soul that desperately needs his rest.
Thanks be to God!
