“Where Is Your Safety?” Rick Griffith

·34 min·3 clips

Rick Griffith unpacks Psalm 31:15, showing how God examines every moment of our lives like an open palm.

The episode opens with a lighthearted introduction from the host, Terry Simpson, setting the context of the holiday season's stresses. Guest speaker Rick Griffith then takes over, starting with a playful etymology lesson on words like 'lollygagger', 'slap dab', and 'nothing flat', tracing them to Old English and Norse roots. He transitions to the main sermon by reading Psalm 31 in its entirety, noting it was likely written by David during King Saul's pursuit. Griffith zeroes in on verse 15, 'my times are in your hand', analyzing the Hebrew word for 'times' as continual moments and 'hand' as an open palm for examination. He delves into a philosophical discussion on time, citing physicists who call it an illusion and Albert Einstein's quote that 'the reason for time is so that everything won't happen all at once'. Griffith references Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 to explain God's perspective outside linear time, using an analogy of an author writing a book to illustrate God's timelessness. He connects this to the practical question of how God can hear multiple prayers simultaneously. Returning to Psalm 31, Griffith emphasizes that David's security in God stems from past experiences, like facing lions and bears. He recounts the David and Goliath story, analyzing why the Philistines feared God's intervention, why Saul hesitated due to his sin, and why David acted with confidence. Griffith applies this to listeners, urging them to reflect on whether they trust God like David, avoid engagement like the Philistines, or fear exposure like Saul. He shares a personal story about inheriting a 'Bible Promises Book' from his mother, reading Proverbs 1:33 on safety from fear. The sermon ends with a prayer of thanksgiving for God's promises and grace, encouraging the congregation to support each other through shared faith experiences.

As heard by us

A Grace House Podcast sermon uses Psalm 31, a thousand-year podium, and prayer to frame God's freedom from time.

Safety becomes a question of time in this Grace House Podcast sermon: how can God hear one person's prayers and countless others while people remain bound to a linear world?

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Want to follow a cowbell from holiday-season chatter into a sermon about God's relationship with time?

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