Psalm 11 — When Foundations Tremble

“In Adonai I take refuge."

How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’?For look, the wicked bend the bow; they make ready their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”— Tehillim (Psalm) 11:1–3

Opening Cry

There are moments when life feels like it’s slipping through our fingers — when plans, people, or peace itself crumble beneath us. It’s in those moments that this psalm speaks most clearly.

David begins not with fear, but with faith: “In Adonai I take refuge.”His friends are urging him to run — to flee like a bird to the mountains, to escape what cannot be controlled. But David’s heart refuses to panic. He doesn’t deny the danger, but he remembers where safety truly lives.

Sometimes, faith is not about escaping chaos. It’s about staying still enough to know who holds us in it.

In the Valley of Prayer

When everything shakes, our instincts awaken — fight, flight, or freeze. David’s counselors chose fear; they saw only the archers in the shadows. But David saw the unseen: a faithful God seated on an unshaken throne.

The psalm asks, “When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”It’s a haunting question — one we’ve all whispered when our world tilts. A relationship ends. A loved one falls ill . A prayer seems unanswered.

What do we do when the ground beneath our feet shifts? David’s answer is not a strategy — it’s surrender. He takes refuge, not in certainty, but in Presence.

The Rabbi’s Heart

The Hebrew word for “faithfulness” is emunah (אֱמוּנָה).It means more than belief; it means steadiness, reliability — the quality of something that does not collapse under weight. When David speaks of God’s holy temple and throne, he isn’t describing distance, but stability. The Hebrew imagination saw heaven not as far away, but as the unshakable center of all things.

Adonai is in His holy temple; Adonai’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His gaze examines mankind. (verse 4)

David is saying: “Even when my world trembles, the world above me does not.”God is not pacing the floor of heaven. He is watching with wisdom, weighing the hearts of men, and holding justice and mercy in perfect balance.

For us who follow Yeshua, this truth finds flesh and blood in Him — the

Cornerstone —the builders rejected —who became the foundation that cannot be moved. When all else crumbles, we build again on Him.

A Glimpse of Grace

I often think of how Yeshua’s disciples must have felt the night He was taken away — the fear, the scattering, the silence. Their foundations shattered, yet what they couldn’t see was that God was already rebuilding everything on a stronger cornerstone: resurrection.

Grace does not promise unbroken ground. It promises an unbroken God.

So when fear whispers, “Flee to the mountains,” we can answer, “No — I will take refuge in the Lord.”He is the mountain. He is the foundation beneath every fallen stone.

Heart Reflection

If we were sitting together in a quiet corner, with a candle flickering low, I might ask gently:

• What foundations in your life have trembled lately?

• When fear says “run,” what would it look like to remain in stillness before God instead?

• Can you name one truth that has not changed, even when everything else has?

Prayer of Trust

Adonai, my Refuge and my Rock, You see what I cannot, and You hold what I cannot have. When my heart trembles, teach me to rest in Your faithfulness. Let Your stability steady my soul. You are the mountain that will not move, the foundation that will not crumble, and the love that will not let go. In Yeshua’s name, amen.

Shalom and grace, always. 

Scripture Cross-References

• Psalm 46:1–2 — “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

• Habakkuk 2:4 — “The righteous shall live by his faithfulness (emunah).”

• Isaiah 28:16 — “Behold, I lay in Zion a tested stone, a precious cornerstone.”

• Matthew 7:24-25 — The wise man who builds upon the rock.

• Hebrews 12:28 — “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful.”