our rock – Moment to Moment (Bible blog)

Where we place our trust

Psalm 62 has always been another of my favorite psalms and songs. In a time of great trouble (when was David ever NOT in trouble), he sang,

My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2)

The thing that strikes me is the words, “in God alone.”

David had lived long enough to realize that people are not always faithful. That things like money and wealth cannot always be depended upon.

He wrote,

Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.

Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. (9-10)

In other words, it doesn’t matter if people are great or small; you cannot always lean on them. Sometimes they will betray you.

But even if they never do, death claims us all. The day will come when you will have to learn to stand without them.

And though money, whether honestly or dishonestly gotten by, can seem to buy happiness for a while, it too will eventually leave you empty.

So David says I do not put my trust or hope in these things. Instead, he says,

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him. (5)

And he tells us as well,

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. (8)

Where do you place your trust? In people? In wealth? In yourself? All of these are false refuges. And in the end, they will fail us.

There is only one place, one person worthy of our trust. And so David closes by saying,

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:
that you, O God, are strong,
and that you, O Lord, are loving.

Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. (11-12)

Let us place our trust in the one who will never fail.

The God who is where we are

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)