Psalm 32:7 --- You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
A hiding place. That’s good! A hiding place is a very good thing if there is a storm. You can think of the winds howling and the rain beating down. Hate to be outside then! We read of hurricanes and tornadoes. Everyone runs to find shelter from the storm.
Or what if someone was chasing you!? You know that you could not stand up against this enemy. A hiding place would be very handy!
Obviously when David wrote this psalm, he had something else in mind. Something bigger than a storm; something bigger than someone chasing him.
David wrote this after his big sin. When he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband murdered so as to cover it up. But he couldn’t hide it. He couldn’t keep this from God’s eyes. No, God saw.
God is a righteous God. He demands that sins be dealt with. He will not just overlook a sin…sweep it under the rug somewhere. David sinned big time. So hw can David say that God is his hiding place? How can David say that God will protect him from trouble?
We get a hint of that in the first verse:
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
That would be great! Sins covered up! Transgressions forgiven! But how can that be?
We get another clue in verse five:
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
The Lord forgave David the guilt of his sin!
You see the biggest storm that we have to face is God. Our sins are against an infinite and holy God. His wrath is described as a storm and as an unquenchable fire:
“Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.” (Isaiah 13:13)
In Revelation we read that “the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17)
God’s wrath is a mighty storm. There is no way that we could stand against it. We do need a shelter, a hiding place.
David says “You are my hiding place.”
That’s personal. How did this happen? How could David, full of sin, definitely earning God’s wrath and displeasure, suddenly be free of guilt and looks to God as a shelter?
It is because of Jesus Christ. God did punish David’s sins. But He punished them in another. David confessed his sins and God forgave him because God would punish those sins in Jesus Christ.
And if we are to escape that storm of God’s wrath, we must confess our sins and trust in the work that Jesus Christ has done.
What is that work? He took our punishment in our place so that we may go free. That is how we hide in Christ. It is as though He hides us so that we do not have to see or experience God’s wrath. Then He bears God’s wrath for us—in our place!
That’s why David was so excited! That’s why he said, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” That’s why he was so grateful that His God was also his hiding place! David knew the weight of his sins. And now, having that great burden removed, he sings and he praises God. “Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”
But we have trouble all the time. Can we count on God to be our hiding place then? Will He protect us from all troubles?
What sort of troubles? We have aches and pains; we have heartaches and disappointments. We have sickness and death. Can God be our hiding place through these troubles too?
Let’s think about that. He has saved us from the biggest trouble—the Day of His Wrath! That means that He can do the big thing. He certainly is able to take care of these small issues. So the question is—Is God willing to help us in the small things of life? Does He care for me in my little troubles? Or is He too busy running the universe?
Let’s listen to what Jesus Himself said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
You see? God takes care of sparrows. He says you are more important that sparrows. He will take care of you!
So He is our hiding pace when troubles come. And, oh! They will come. We will be sick and weak; but Jesus will be there with us! And when it is time for us to die, Jesus will be there to welcome us home. He will surround us with songs of deliverance! He doesn’t take us out of the trouble; He surrounds us with songs of deliverance and protects us from the trouble.
Remember that Psalm? “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall lack no good thing. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because God is my hiding place; because God protects me from trouble!
This sounds pretty good! Right?
But it is only for those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Those who have not placed their trust in Him will still have to face this great storm, the awesome Day of His Wrath. For those who have not trusted in Jesus, He is not a hiding place. Revelation speaks of people in fear of this Jesus crying out to the rocks and the mountains to fall and to hide them from His wrath—but there is no hiding from Him on that Day. The only way to hide, is to go to Him and confess and then to trust Him. He then will be your hiding place. He then will be your protection against troubles and He will save you from the guilt of your sins. Why? Because of His work on the cross. Oh, Jesus, Keep me near the cross!
