In Psalm 61, it seems that David is once again on the run. Apparently, he was already king at this time, so it’s likely that he wrote it when he was in exile during the time of Absalom’s rebellion.
And he cries out,
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint (Psalm 61:1-2)
That second stanza strikes me. “From the ends of the earth I call to you.”
Obviously he wasn’t at the literal ends of the earth. But David was far from home, and far from the tabernacle that he loved.
Yet he knew it didn’t matter where he was. God would hear him. And so in his distress, he cried out to God, saying,
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (2b-4)
In other words, “I find my safety in you. And I long for your presence. But right now, you seem out of reach. Please lead me to yourself.”
How many times do we feel the same way? We feel abandoned. We know our safety is in God, but he seems far away.
Sometimes like David, in our desperation, we make vows to God, saying, “If only you’ll hear and help me, I’ll do this or that.”
It’s important to keep those vows if we make them, but it’s even more important to know that they are unnecessary. That we have a heritage from God that comes by grace, and that is available to all who fear and love him.
A heritage of hope and peace in the midst of trouble.
A heritage in which God calls us his children and in which he promises to answer our call.
And a heritage in which we will reign with Christ forever someday. (2 Timothy 2:12)
So when we are in trouble, when God seems far away, let us remember these things. He’s much closer than we imagine.
By His Spirit, he will lead us to the Rock that is higher than we are, and from that high place, we will see all our troubles for the specks of dust that they really are.
And when we do, as David said, we will ever sing in praise of his name. (61:8)
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 