Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. Psalm 107:6

Distresses – There’s safety in the desert.  Oh, yes, we know that the desert is an uninhabitable place.  It is a place of wild animals, danger and potential death.  But God is in the desert – and that makes it a safe place to be.  Of course, we won’t feel safe if we try to manage in the wilderness by ourselves.  We will seek geographical protection – like the mountains.  But that might be a mistake.

The Hebrew word for “distresses” is mimtsookoteihem.  Just trying to pronounce it is distressing enough.  But there is something hidden here that we need to uncover.  We can start by noticing that the root of this word is matsuk, a word that describes a column or a rock.  It’s worth noting along the way that the Talmud uses this word for a steep mountain, just the kind of place you might seek for refuge.  However, the root of matsuk is tsuk which means “to be narrow, compressed, constrained.”  Now we see why this word describes “distresses.”  In Hebrew, to be at peace and to be secure is to be led to a wide and open space.  “He makes me lie down in green pastures,” contrasts the hemmed-in feeling of the narrow valley of stress.  Mountains might be great lookouts, but they come with valleys, and in the valleys you can’t see what’s coming.  Better to be in God’s wilderness than in the depths of a narrow valley.

Our natural instinct for protection is to run to the hills.  We fear an open space.  But maybe, just maybe, we are running the wrong way.  Maybe our theological geography needs to be directed toward dependence rather than self-protection.  Maybe when we flee to the mountains we are heading away from God’s good grace.

Think about it.  How many times have we run for cover only to discover that we are more hemmed-in than ever?  How many times have we sought protection but ended up in confinement?  When God delivers us, doesn’t He open the way that leads to broader vistas?  Oswald Chambers said that we were not meant for mountain-top living.  We always have to come back down to life in the ordinary valley of trials and struggles.  But when we are really pressed on all sides, maybe we need to turn our gaze to the wilderness instead of the mountain tops.  God seems to like those places where we must depend on Him for survival.

Today has been an enormously stressful day.  It seems like life is just one valley after another.  It’s impossible to stand on the slippery slopes of the peaks.  It goes against the grain, but once I get to the desert, I know it will be flat, open and sheltering.  That’s where my Lord waits for me.

Topical Index:  distress, matsuk, tsuk, desert, valley, Psalm 107:6