January 11, 2017
by Dr. Becky Luman
Psalm 62 (NIV)
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN.
3 How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.”
Every human emotion of God’s people can be found in the Psalms: joyful worship, gratitude for blessings, pleas for forgiveness and deliverance from trouble, struggles with envy and hatred of enemies, and more. Psalm 62 (which reflects King David’s experiences) combines both confidence in God as the ultimate source of significance and security and a complaint to God against people who attacking him with lies and plots against his life.
Twice, the writer states that his soul is at rest in God; in this Supreme Security he is confident. God is praised as rock (three times), fortress (twice), refuge (twice) and salvation (three times). Evil cannot conquer the one who is protected and rescued by Almighty God. The writer is staking his honor and his hope for the future on the dependability, power and love of God, the Mighty Fortress. Twice the poet says, “I will not be shaken.”
Along with affirming God’s power to defend, the psalmist pours out his heart about his troubles. We can talk to God freely about whatever concerns us, in this case the threat of enemies attacking reputation and even life itself. The writer encourages worshippers to “Trust in Him at all times, pour out your heart to Him for God is our refuge.” We should speak honestly but confidently to the Lord about how we truly feel. In many circumstances of life, we feel “shaken” by fear or stress, or loss.
People can trust in many things for security and significance. The writer states that other people (whether common folk or powerful folk) cannot be the source of our identities or hopes. Some depend on their own efforts, especially in getting money (increased riches) whether by honest or dishonest means (stolen good or extortion). The song/psalm ends with affirmation that the only truly dependable thing in life is God’s loving, powerful character and the reward He gives.
Dr. E. Stanley Jones, distinguished missionary evangelist and author, suffered a debilitating stroke in his last year. His reflections on his life and his faith comprise his final book The Divine Yes which was edited from tape recordings by his daughter and son-in-law. He says:
“They say in Switzerland that the Swiss climbers have a rope, the strands of which at the center are the strongest and are capable of holding up a man even if all the edges of the rope have worn off. The innermost strands are the strongest. I have found that to be true in Christian experience. Many strands of my life have been broken by this stroke for I can no longer preach and I cannot write as my eyesight is so poor that I cannot see my own writing. I can only dictate into a tape recorder. The things that were once dear to me, for the time being, are broken. The innermost strands belong to the Kingdom and Person of Jesus and my experience of Him holds me as much as the total rope. For the innermost strands are the strongest. I need no outer props to hold up my faith, for my faith holds me. I do not possess my faith, my faith possesses me.” (page 63 of The Divine Yes.)
Dr. Jones found even in this affliction that his soul was at rest; his faith was not shaken. The Lord Himself is our security from all that threatens us. He gives us dignity and worth by his love toward us and his commitment to guide, guard, empower and reward us. Take courage, friend, God is FOR YOU. Let your soul rest in God; in His loving care you will not be shaken.