You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble. Psalm 32:7
Like the unraveling of a rope, the threads of Doug Merkey’s life were breaking one by one. “My mother had lost her prolonged battle with cancer; a long-term romantic relationship was failing; my finances were depleted; my vocation was foggy. . . . The emotional and spiritual darkness around me and within me was deep and debilitating and seemingly impenetrable,” the pastor and sculptor wrote. These collective events, combined with living in a cramped attic, became the setting from which his sculpture The Hiding Place emerged. It depicts Christ’s strong, nailed-scarred hands openly cupped together as a place of safety.
Doug explained the design of his artwork this way: The “sculpture is Christ’s invitation to hide in Him.” In Psalm 32, David wrote as one who had found the ultimate safe place—God Himself. He offers us forgiveness from our sin (vv. 1–5) and encourages us to offer prayer in the midst of tumult (v. 6). In verse 7, the psalmist declares his trust in God: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
When trouble shows up, where do you turn? How good it is to know that when the fragile cords of our earthly existence begin to unravel, we can run to the God who has provided eternal safety through the forgiving work of Jesus.
Of David. A maskil.a
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.a
whose sin the Lord does not count against themb
and in whose spirit is no deceit.c
3 When I kept silent,d
my bones wasted awaye
through my groaningf all day long.
your hand was heavyg on me;
my strength was sappedh
as in the heat of summer.b
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.i
I said, “I will confessj
my transgressionsk to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.l
6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;m
surely the risingn of the mighty waterso
will not reach them.p
7 You are my hiding place;q
you will protect me from troubler
and surround me with songs of deliverance.s
8 I will instructt you and teach youu in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye onv you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridlew
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,x
but the Lord’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trustsy in him.
11 Rejoice in the Lordz and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
INSIGHT
- What has it meant or what will it mean for you to find shelter, safety, and forgiveness in Jesus?
- How does He provide what you need for your cares, fears, and burdens?
Psalm 32 is one of the great penitential psalms in which the writer confesses his sin to God. It’s intriguing that David makes mention of his bones in verse 3. “Bones” as understood here is representative of his physical health. David uses the same terminology in Psalm 6:2, where he says, “Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony,” and the term appears frequently throughout the Psalms and Proverbs. It’s dangerous to assume that physical affliction is a sign of God’s judgment (see the book of Job), but the biblical poets knew well that sin wears us out emotionally and physically. A failure to repent will have an adverse effect on our spiritual and physical health. Confession is good for the soul and for our entire being.
PRAYER
Father, You know the times I’ve sought to piece my life together without You. Help me to forsake my misguided plans for safety and to run swiftly to You. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Psalm 32 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Numbers 34-36; Mark 9:30-50
