Psalm 61- The Heritage of Abiding
By Bunni Pounds
*This blog is part of our weekly, virtual Bible Study through the book of Psalms. For information on how to participate, please visit this page.
There is a cry that leaves our lips that brings salvation; then God becomes our shelter, our tabernacle, and our heritage.
Eternal life is not just eternal life for nothing. It has a purpose. The purpose is found in Psalm 61:8 “So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I May daily perform my vows.”
“Hear my cry, O God, Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Verse 1)
No matter where we are on the earth or how far away from God we feel - He is still there. When our heart feels overwhelmed- He is the ROCK that keeps us steady.
Our cry and our prayer brings us into His presence in the middle of this overwhelming time.
The rock that holds us steady is not flesh and blood - it is the truth of who God is.
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” - Matthew 16:17-18
Flesh and blood will fail us but God is always faithful. The ROCK of stability is not found in a person, but the truth of God’s Word and who Jesus is. Peter had spoken loudly before this declaration from Jesus concerning who He really was. It had been revealed to Him. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16).
The rock is Christ and He holds us steady in the middle of the raging storms.
“For You have been a shelter to me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.” (Verses 3-4)
Abiding. Trusting
We trust Him because He hears us. We know He hears us.
“For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.” (Verse 5)
Everyone wants a heritage. A family that matters and that carries on after we are gone. The way to get a steady life and a heritage that will not be destroyed is through God. There is no other way. He is the only One that is eternal.
David then speaks of Himself in the context of this reality.
“You will prolong the king’s life. His years as many generations. He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!” (Verse 6-7)
What shall preserve our lives? It is not flesh and blood again - it is the mercy and truth from the hand of God.
Through God’s salvation- we will abide before Him forever. This is life eternal.
John 17:3-
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
As Jesus talked about in John 14-17 - abiding in Him is the goal of life. It is what we were created to do but it is the last thing that many of us do. We are caught up in all the distractions of life that steal our affections and gaze.
Let’s turn our eyes today and ask God to teach us how to abide in Him. It is what we are going to be doing forever so it doesn’t make any sense that we wouldn’t get good at it here on earth.
Now again, back to where it all began- “So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I May daily perform my vows.” (Verse 8)
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