Thank you to Pat for this week’s MWB
Mid week Bridge Psalm 62
We continue on our theme of Gods mercy looking to another Psalm of David, Psalm 62;
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 honour 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.”
David’s emphasis throughout this psalm is to trust in God and completely rely on him at all times and especially through difficult times, without despair or fear. There’s a real sense of impeding doom and danger as David is under threat from his enemies, v. 3 – 4. But rather than being dismayed David brackets his problem with a repeated declaration, “ Truly my soul finds rest in God. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken,”, v. 1- 2, 5 – 7, focusing on the amazing character of God; stating, and restating, that God is his salvation, rock and fortress! So the human enemies are covered on either side by almighty God, and David is not shaken!
Standing firm in the midst of adversity is not easy, waiting on God to resolve the problem or to give us wisdom so we know what we should do, is hard. We can feel pressurised to react if we find ourselves floundering in a situation that’s out of our control. We may want to retaliate or take matters into our own hands and get things sorted. David is not recommending this! But rather recommends putting yourself under Gods mercy and power at all times, v. 8, and seeing things through God’s eyes and finding his way forward. David believes that God can be trusted and will be just, v. 12, and so should we.
We can pour out our hearts to God, v. 8, and not be ashamed to be honest about our circumstances and feelings. David warns of the consequences of looking to earthly solutions and power, v. 10. The phrase ‘don’t set your heart on them’ reminds me of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6: 19-21, which also warns of looking to earthly things rather than kingdom values in our lives and problems. In comparison to almighty God everything else is just a breath, is nothing, v. 9.
So, do we feel confident to rely totally on God’s mercy come what may? Waiting, rather than muddling through and trying ourself to resolve the issue or problem we are facing? Waiting and trusting is not a sign of weakness or resignation, but rather is evidence of our faith in a sovereign and merciful God, for whom nothing is impossible, Luke 1: 37; Matthew 19: 26.
Perhaps we have had pivotal moments like David, where we have felt under threat or attack, where the only place to run was to God and we can testify that God got us through. Or perhaps we are facing a situation now, overwhelmed or unsure of what our next move should be!
Lets praise God, “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken” and declare, “Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”, and put ourselves under God’s mercy and love…and wait, and trust. We will not be disappointed.
Amen.
