TO CHEW ON: "Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him.
God is a refuge for us. Selah" Psalm 62:8.
It would be interesting to know the story behind this psalm. One senses betrayal. David, in a kind of aside says (perhaps in reference to backstabbers?), "How long will you attack a man? ... They only consult to cast him down from his high position; they delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, But they curse inwardly" - Psalm 62:3,4.
And so in this psalm he again plants his flag. (When you say the words it becomes all the more real and set for you.) MY TRUST IS IN GOD!
Not:
- People - for whether they are poor or wealthy, powerless or influential, in the end they are as short-lived and inconsequential as vapour.
- Oppression - forcing his will on others.
- Robbery - getting his way illegally.
- Riches - buying his way.
For God is "salvation, "defense," "rock," "my glory," "a refuge." He alone has power (Psalm 62:11). He alone dispenses perfect mercy and justice (Psalm 62:12).
As I look at the list of things David doesn't trust in, I say, Oops! Don't I tend to trust in that same lot to get my way, to advance my career, to further the fortunes of my family? Don't I tend to put my confidence in people—it's who you know, isn't it? Have I not been tempted to use even force, money or underhanded means (deceit, sneakiness)?
David's challenge to trust in God at all times and to the exclusion of all else applies as much to us as it did to him and the people of his time.
PRAYER: Dear God, help me to experience an attitude change so that I trust in, rely on, and hope for You — not other people or my own manipulations. Amen.
MORE: "Pour out your heart before Him" (Psalm 62:8).
This is an invitation to lay our concerns, worries, fears, and disappointments before God just as David did so often in the psalms. You might try that today, praying them out loud or, better yet, writing out your version of Psalm 62:3-4.
(From the archives)
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