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.

God is truly great! He is a rock and the One that keeps us steady and steadfast. Knowing this - deep in our inner soul makes us unshakable. 

“Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.” (verses 1-2) 

Quieting our soul – though extremely hard – in the middle of all the noise in our modern world from entertainment to news sources, to social media, to professional pressures, to family struggles – brings rest and renewal of the truth in our hearts. 

Silence brings life to our souls. Not emptying our minds like in many eastern meditation religions - but filling our minds with the truth of God’s Word. As our souls wait “silently” on God – IN comes our salvation and we realize that we will “not be greatly moved”. It is a miracle reality in a world of struggle. God truly becomes our salvation that we lean on – not our own flesh and strength. 

“How long will you attack a man?
You shall be slain, all of you,
Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.
They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah” (verse 3-4)

I have said many times – political friends are not real friends. People who only want to know you for your position, your influence, or what you can give them are not real friends. 

This passage portrays David’s friends as “fake” and spells out that they are trying to destroy him. 

I have been in situations like that, where those whom I thought were friends – turned their back on me and spoke lies against me. If you haven’t had that happen to you at some point – try standing up for righteousness or stepping out into another level of influence. It is shocking what happens. 

If you aren’t involved in politics – think about your work environment and the jealousy of others when things are going well for you. 

This understanding of people’s weaknesses and evil hearts without God is not a fun or easy place to rest in. It takes a lot of trust in God to know He is bigger and stronger than the lies, the attacks, and curses from the so-called “friends” – but God can be the rock and the strength of our souls in situations like David was enduring. 

“My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (verses 5-8)

Though we know in our heads that God is a faithful refuge, that doesn’t mean that we don’t have to remind our souls of the truth. I see young people all the time being controlled by their feelings – not understanding that they have to tell their souls – their mind, will, and emotions – how to behave. 

David is commanding his soul here to obey the truth and “wait silently for God alone”. He understood that though men might have good things to give him from time to time, His expectation for good in this world had to come from “God alone”.

Expectations must be placed in the correct places and that can’t be in men. It has to be in God. 

I have always loved verse 8 of Psalm 62 – I even wrote a song with that verse years ago – “Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge….”

What does it mean to pour out our hearts before God? 

I think it means to be vulnerable, to not hold anything back from Him, to be truthful and transparent even in the middle of pain. In that heart posture – God will meet us as a refuge. He is a Good Father who cares for our souls, protects us, and guides us. He is always worthy of our trust.  

“Surely men of low degree are a vapor,
Men of high degree are a lie;
If they are weighed on the scales,
They are altogether lighter than vapor.
Do not trust in oppression,
Nor vainly hope in robbery;
If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.

God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.
Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy;
For You render to each one according to his work. (verses 9-12)

In these final verses of Psalm 62 – we clearly see the weakness of men and the strength of God. 

Over the last few weeks – I have been reading David Barton and Tim Barton’s book – The American Story (our CE book club pick for April 2022), where they detail out the Providence of God as it relates to the beginnings of America. These historians show how God intervened in America’s story from several battles in the Revolutionary War, the Constitutional Convention, even how God used Squanto in the lives of the colonists as agents of His grace. 

One fact that they make very clear is how the Founders of our nation understood deeply how frail and wicked men are – left to their own devices. Therefore, the founders of our nation created a federalist system – with the states and the federal government having a power struggle constantly. This is why they built-in separations of powers into our system of government. They understood that “power corrupts” and that they had to have checks and balances to protect our land from the nature of man. 

These verses in Psalm 62 highlight how people with “little means” are quickly forgotten on earth. They don’t have buildings and parks named after them - so their memories other than in their family and friends – fades after they are gone. 

Yet men of wealth can be showing one thing to the world’s system – but it could all be a lie. 

How often do we see wealthy men display their greatness and then find out that it is all an accounting scheme to make them look wealthier than they are? 

Proverbs 11:1 says, “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.”

This exhortation to remind us that “If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them,” is so important because trusting in anything other than God’s faithfulness will only send us down the wrong path. 

The apostle Paul said “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Philippians 4:12)

How many people do you know that have everything - but yet don’t have peace? 

They are tormented by all that they possess but they don’t have a relationship with God that really brings lasting hope. 

In the book of Revelation – there are seven churches that get a stern warning from God – one of those is the Church of Laodicea. Here is God’s warning to them – notice the reference to their wealth. 

Revelation 3:16-18 – “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

Knowing that God alone is trustworthy and that our trust in Him will produce eternal hope and peace is the message of the Word of God. 

Jesus is our refuge from the world, from evil, from wicked men, and from ourselves. He alone is worthy of our trust. 

“Trust Him at all times, you people, pour out your heart before God….”

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