It's good to think more deeply about the mercies of God in times of crisis. To help guide us in this effort, we'll consider Paul David Tripp's collection of meditations from Psalm 27 called "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." You can get your own copy on Amazon here.

Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!

Psalm 27:9

This meditation is about our never-ending (until glorification) quest for autonomy. We want to be free and Satan wants to feed this desire with the lie that the freedom we're seeking is good for us. In reality, that freedom is slavery; it is death.

It's the pursuit of this freedom that causes us to justify all of our actions. What we do wrong is not because we are sinners but "because of the pressures [we are] forced to deal with that are outside of [us]." We refuse correction and can always give a reasonable excuse to justify what we've done.

Tripp points out that this pursuit ends in slavery because this kind of freedom is not what we were made for. "[We were] carefully designed by the creator to live in dependent, obedient, and worshipful relationship with him and in humble, interdependent relationship with other human beings." He concludes, "The quest for independence is not simply a spiritual mistake; it's a fundamental denial of my humanity."

No man (or woman) is an island. We are our brother's (and sister's) keeper. We cannot refuse community, prioritize autonomy, nor reject correction without living in defiance of the God who made us. 

Questions to Consider

The questions are Tripp's. I included my answers in case they're helpful to read.

1. In what ways are you living as more independent than you actually are?

- This isn't a particular struggle for me; it's common for me to seek help and advice and I'm generally willing to admit when I need it. 

2. Where have you tended to blame "inside" sins on the relationships and situations that exist outside of you.

- Unfortunately, this is often my first reaction when I'm accused of wrong-doing. I want to figure out what (or who) I can blame so that I'm not responsible for my own sin.