Wait in Silence


Psalm 62
To the choirmaster: according to [in the style of] Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.
2He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
3How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah
5For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.
6He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
8Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
9Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
10Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
11Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
12and that to You, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For You will render to a man according to His work.

This psalm appears often in the prayer lives of God’s people and is a perennial favorite. Reading this psalm was an interesting experience for me this morning. Each time I read it, my eyes skimmed over the verses about how evil men attack and sought out the words about God and His greatness. I just couldn’t stop myself. Finally, I just wanted to bask in the comfort and peace that the words about God alone brought, so I took out the verses about the attacks and here’s what is left. For me today, these words are sublime.

1For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.
2He alone is my Rock and my Salvation, my Fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
5For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.
6He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
8Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
11Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
12and that to You, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For You will render to a man according to His work.

Yes, the lines are fairly repetitive (another observation made when extracting the other verses) but there is peace in that repetition. Each repetition adds details and expands on our understanding of who God is and how He interacts with His children. Now as I read through these verses, I find that one phrase sticks out; “my soul waits in silence”. The first time, it is a description but the second time, it is an instruction. For me, that is extremely helpful as I have to be reminded to simply be quiet and let God work. My first response is often to leap into action and I am most certainly capable of filling up the air with useless ideas and words. The instructive reminder is necessary.

David concludes with a meditation on two attributes of God that are a comfort to believers. God is almighty, but he uses this power to protect his people, not to crush them. God is loving and faithful, and he has the power to fulfill his loving promises for his people. These two characteristics combined give God’s people peace and comfort in every circumstance. They can await his just judgment with confidence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The...
Read more

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv...
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl...
Read more