Psalms 62:1-12: a reflection

1My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him. 2He alone is my rock, my salvation, and my fortress. I will never be greatly shaken. 3How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 4They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. 5My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him. 6He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken. 7My salvation and my honor is with God. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah. 9Surely men of low degree are just a breath, and men of high degree are a lie. In the balances they will go up. They are together lighter than a breath. 10Don’t trust in oppression. Don’t become vain in robbery. If riches increase, don’t set your heart on them. 11God has spoken once; twice I have heard this, that power belongs to God. 12Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work.

This psalm teaches the soul to rest and wait in silence for God alone, finding in him alone its rock, salvation, and refuge. My soul rests in God alone, the psalm begins; he alone is my rock, my salvation, and my fortress. And again: my soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him. The psalmist presses one word: alone. Not partly in God and partly in other things, but in God alone the soul finds its rock, its salvation, its refuge; and so it waits for him alone, in quiet trust, pouring out its heart before him. Because God alone is his rock, the psalmist will not be greatly shaken. This shows resting and waiting in silence for God alone, our rock and refuge. Let your soul rest and wait in silence for God alone. God alone is your rock, salvation, and refuge; find your security in him. Do not divide your trust; rest in God alone. The soul that rests in God alone will not be greatly shaken.

Notice the word the psalmist keeps returning to: alone. My soul rests in God alone; he alone is my rock; wait in silence for God alone. The psalmist has found that his rest, his security, his salvation, is not to be found partly in God and partly in other things, in wealth, in status, in human help, in his own strength, but in God alone. And so he teaches his soul to rest in God alone, to wait for him alone in silence and quiet trust, and to pour out its heart before him. Because his security rests on God alone, who is a rock and fortress, he will not be greatly shaken. This holds wisdom for where we place our trust. We often divide our trust, resting partly in God and partly in other things, wealth, people, our own abilities, position, hedging our security across many supports. But such divided trust leaves us unstable, for the other things we lean on are, as the psalm says, but a breath, unable finally to hold us. The psalm calls us instead to rest in God alone, to find our rock, salvation, and refuge in him alone, and so to wait for him in quiet trust, pouring out our hearts before him. The soul that rests in God alone, not in a divided trust, has a security that cannot be greatly shaken. We do well to let our souls rest and wait in silence for God alone, finding in him alone our rock and refuge. Rest your soul in God alone, your rock, salvation, and refuge. Do not divide your trust among things that cannot hold you. Wait in silence for God alone, and pour out your heart before him. The soul resting in God alone will not be greatly shaken.

That is worth resting in, for God alone is our rock and refuge, and the soul that rests and waits in silence for him alone will not be greatly shaken, as the psalmist found. We often divide our trust among God and other things that cannot finally hold us; but the psalmist rested in God alone, his rock and salvation, and would not be greatly shaken. Rest in him alone. Do not divide your trust among things that are but a breath; let your soul rest and wait in silence for God alone, your rock and refuge, and you will not be greatly shaken. Let your soul rest and wait in silence for God alone, finding in him alone your rock, salvation, and refuge rather than dividing your trust among things that cannot hold you, as this psalm teaches the soul to rest and wait in silence for God alone, saying the soul rests in God alone who alone is its rock, salvation, and fortress, and again to wait in silence for God alone since its expectation is from him; for the psalmist presses one word, alone, that not partly in God and partly in other things but in God alone the soul finds its rock, salvation, and refuge, and so waits for him alone in quiet trust, pouring out its heart before him, and because God alone is his rock he will not be greatly shaken, which holds wisdom for where we place our trust, since we often divide our trust, resting partly in God and partly in wealth, people, our own abilities, and position, hedging our security across many supports, but such divided trust leaves us unstable since the other things we lean on are but a breath, unable finally to hold us, so that the psalm calls us instead to rest in God alone and find our rock, salvation, and refuge in him alone and wait for him in quiet trust, pouring out our hearts before him, for the soul that rests in God alone rather than in a divided trust has a security that cannot be greatly shaken, and we do well to let our souls rest and wait in silence for God alone.

Lord, this psalm teaches my soul to rest and wait in silence for you alone, finding in you alone my rock, salvation, and refuge. My soul rests in God alone, the psalm begins; he alone is my rock, my salvation, and my fortress. And again: my soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him. The psalmist presses one word: alone. Not partly in you and partly in other things, but in you alone the soul finds its rock, its salvation, its refuge; and so it waits for you alone, in quiet trust, pouring out its heart before you. Because you alone are his rock, the psalmist will not be greatly shaken. Show me the word the psalmist keeps returning to: alone. My soul rests in God alone; he alone is my rock; wait in silence for God alone. The psalmist has found that his rest, his security, his salvation, is not to be found partly in you and partly in other things, in wealth, in status, in human help, in his own strength, but in you alone. And so he teaches his soul to rest in you alone, to wait for you alone in silence and quiet trust, and to pour out its heart before you. Because his security rests on you alone, he will not be greatly shaken. This holds wisdom for where I place my trust. I often divide my trust, resting partly in you and partly in other things, wealth, people, my own abilities, position, hedging my security across many supports. But such divided trust leaves me unstable, for the other things I lean on are but a breath, unable finally to hold me. You call me instead to rest in you alone, to find my rock, salvation, and refuge in you alone. Take that to my heart. Keep me from dividing my trust among things that cannot hold me; help me let my soul rest and wait in silence for you alone, Lord, my rock, salvation, and refuge, pouring out my heart before you, that resting in you alone I may not be greatly shaken.