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RIVER OF LIFE CHURCH – CHRYSTAL F.

Worship and Prophecy Through the Psalms

Session 8 The Only Foundation – Psalm 11


1 In the LORD I put my trust; how can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain?
2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they
may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.” 3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the
righteous do? 4 The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes
behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. 5 The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and
the one who loves violence His soul hates. 6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and
brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. 7 For the LORD is righteous,
He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. (Psa. 11)

I. GOD IS MY REFUGE

A. God is our refuge—the place where we hide when the world is in turmoil. He is the one to
whom we express our deepest heart’s desires and fears. Our first step in placing our trust in God
is acknowledging that we are a people who need a refuge in the first place. Our foundation is
God, our refuge and our trust. This implies that the refuge present for the righteous ones is
needed. There is no point in acknowledging that God is our refuge unless and until we first see
that we are a people who need a refuge.

B. A critical opponent to us hearing from God and speaking forth His words with power is pride.
Pride blinds us to the truth and hinders our ability to walk in the liberty of Christ (Jer. 13:15-17;
Ob. 1:3). If we cannot admit that we are weak, we cannot receive the benefit and grace of His
strength.

C. It is unwise to depend on man in the place of God. He is our only recourse and our only place of
safety. In our walk with the Lord, we cannot be naïve and believe that we will never need
periods of rest and regrouping. Part of being a mature believer involves knowing when it’s time
to stand and fight and when it’s time to hide in the shelter of the Lord and allow Him to
strengthen and refresh us.

7 “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of
Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us
than with him. 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God,
to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the
words of Hezekiah king of Judah. (2 Chron. 32:7-8)

5 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh
his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. (Jer. 17:5)

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D. King Saul had attempted to take David’s life on multiple occasions when David wrote this
Psalm, and he faced the temptation to take his safety into his own hands and distrust the Lord’s
provision over his life. David answered this temptation by declaring that God was his refuge and
place of safety. He made a statement of faith in the face of his circumstances.

II. IF THE FOUNDATIONS ARE DESTROYED

A. David’s declaration that God was His defense was one of many such declarations. He had
already made his faith known at this point. The foundation of his self-preservation was a deep-
rooted faith that God does all things well and is indeed able to protect that which is His own.

3 For I proclaim the name of the LORD: ascribe greatness to our God. 4 He is
the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and
without injustice; righteous and upright is He. (Deut. 32:3-4)

19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord
knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ
depart from iniquity.” (2 Tim. 2:19)

B. As believers, we stand firm in the knowledge that God is faithful, and He knows those who have
pledged their allegiance to Him (Num. 16:5). We are to join as living stones and build upon the
bedrock of Christ and the Word (Is. 28:16, 1 Pe. 2:4-6; 1 Co. 3:11; Eph. 2:20). All prophetic
declaration and divine inspiration flows from this place of strength.

C. Jesus told John in Revelation that He would make the one who overcomes a pillar in the temple
of God (Rev. 3:12). We are living stones with a purpose—to build a watchtower preparing for
the day of the Lord’s return (Matt. 25:13; Lk. 21:36; Col. 4:2). We join together as the kingdom
that Jesus promised Peter He would build (Matt. 16:18).

D. Any efforts that David could have made to protect himself (to run when God told him to stand
firm) would erode the foundation of verbalized faith and destroy anything he had built upon it.
To mistrust that the Father knows and cares for us is to allow doubt to overturn our faith in Him
and to accuse Him of lying.

III. THE THRONE ROOM

A. David’s next action is to focus on a revelation of God’s presence. He begins by stating that the
Lord is in His temple, and that the Lord’s throne is in heaven. In doing so, David is counter-
attacking those who would undermine his faith by speaking forth prophetic revelation. When the
enemy comes against us with doubt and unbelief, our surest form of response is meditating on
who the Father is, and our relationship with Him.

B. The throne of God tells us about the One who created it—He is just, unending, and gracious.

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16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the


scepter of Your kingdom. (Ps. 45:6)

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and
truth go before Your face. (Ps. 89:14)

C. David’s expression of where God is seated establishes His sovereignty. The throne in heaven is
at the peak of creation, so that His vantage point is supreme. The Father chose to position
Himself in His temple where He is surrounded eternally with a mixture of the prayers and
worship of the saints.

D. When we truly grasp where the Father is and how holy and powerful He is, it frees us from the
fear of our circumstances. We understand, then, that He is able to strengthen and protect us.
Fear intimidates us; revelation of Jesus brings freedom.

IV. TESTING THE RIGHTEOUS

A. From His exalted perspective in the throne room, the Father searches the hearts of men and
women. He loves righteousness enough to test and purify those who seek after Him. It is an
honor for the Lord to test our hearts, and to discipline us when we fall short of His standard, as it
prepares us for the final test at the return of Jesus.

11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is
Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the
Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each
one’s work, of what sort it is. (1 Co. 3:11-13)

B. Scripture sets precedent that those who have received great esteem from God have also had to
face times where He’s allowed trials to come against their faith. The greater anointing and
authority that we receive from Him comes at a cost, that we might prove ourselves faithful. Paul
established that we must work for the greater gifts, earnestly desiring them and cultivating them
(1 Co. 12:31). We open our hearts to share in the suffering that Christ felt so that we might share
in His power also (2 Co. 4:17; Rom. 8:17).

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had
received the promises offered up his only begotten son (Heb. 11:17)

10 But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth
as gold. (Job 23:10)

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Worship and Prophecy Through the Psalms – CHRYSTAL F.
Session 8 The Only Foundation – Psalm 11 PAGE 4

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