1 Corinthians 8
Psalm 62
Psalm 62. Do you like me, sometimes struggle to pray?
When life gets tough – which it does sometimes – I find it extremely difficult to articulate my heart to my Father in Heaven.
Thankfully we have God’s Word! Thankfully He is not silent when we can’t say anything, but speaks to us day in and day out through His Word, by His Spirit. That is why when I find it hard to pray, the words in Scripture that I read, meditate and dwell on actually become wonderful prayer starters.
As we saw yesterday, we pray because we are utterly dependent on our gracious Heavenly Father. Here in today’s Psalm we see how that truth is expanded. Even though this is not structured as a prayer, the fact that the Psalmist is speaking to himself means these words can be turned into a prayer – a prayer to God who wants us to call on Him, and who does answer our call.
This Psalm is full of great bible words (i.e. rest, hope, salvation, trust) that get us to focus on the giver of these great and wonderful gifts, these blessings from God to the people of God. Right at the beginning of Psalm 62 we immediately see that the Bible doesn’t shy away from human trouble (unrest) and depression (being shaken) and assault, but deals with the reality of it head on.
It seems to me that the hook on which this Psalm hangs is verse 8:
- ‘trust’ (not in status verse 9, not in riches verse 10)
- ‘at all times’ (especially during persecution verse 3)
- ‘pour out your hearts’ (don’t keep it inside)
That is what prayer is isn’t it? That is what a relationship with God looks like. He is trustworthy. He is able to hear us and help us anytime, not just when He feels like it. He is able to receive everything we pour out to Him. Because (to use the Psalmist’s language) He is the rock; He is the fortress; He is our refuge. So when I take all my insecurities, fears, worries and troubles to Him, He is very able to deal with and provide the rest I need. The Psalm ends with great words of further assurance about God’s ability: He is strong and He is loving (verse 11-12).
Ponder on this: What does it mean for God to be strong in the stuff that you are going through right now (good and not-so-good stuff)? What does it mean for the LORD to be loving in the midst of your trouble and/or your joy?
Well for us as Christians reading this, God has shown His power and strength in raising Jesus from the dead, so that we too can have the hope of the resurrection! And for us, the LORD has proved His loving kindness in putting Jesus forward as a sacrifice in our place for our sins to be dealt with once and for all.
Dear brothers and sisters, because of what God has done for us in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, we have this “rest” which is not like a holiday, or retirement, or a lunch-break. But this rest is in a Person!
Our response therefore must be gratitude that is seen in complete and utter trust in God through Christ.