Psalm 62 - My soul finds rest

Read: Psalm 62 vs 1-12

How long? This is a question that very naturally comes to mind when we are in a difficult and ongoing situation. It’s a question that David is asking in today’s Psalm (vs 3). David’s in a situation where he feels ‘assaulted’ and ‘thrown down’ (vs 3). He pictures himself on a height, but a height from which it would be easy for him to be knocked down (vs 4).

There are those around him who say one thing and do another (vs 4) and who are placing trust in things that they have stolen and that should not be theirs (vs 10).

However in spite of all the things that going on around him this is not an anxious Psalm. There is a restfulness to this Psalm. In vs 1 David begins:

‘Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him.

Truly He is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortess, I shall never be shaken.’

The word ‘rest’ is a Bible word. In Genesis 2:2 we learn that God is a God who rests. Rest is deeply embedded into the rhythms of this creation. In the Old Testament gave His people the gift of a weekly Sabbath. ‘Sabbath’ means ‘stop’ it’s about taking a rest in the midst of busyness. One of the challenges about a time of crisis or threat is that we find it hard to rest. In a 24/7 media driven world we can live with a constant sense of being ‘connected’, our minds never stop. At other times demands and responsibilities upon us can make it difficult to in any meaningful way stop. However the them of rest, and the promise of rest, persists as a key Bible theme. Jesus invites us to find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28) and rest is given as a picture of what we will enjoy in the new creation (Revelation 14:13).

In the meantime it is good to seek moments of rest. We have not been made, on a daily or weekly basis, to always be on the go. True rest begins not from emptying ourselves but from stopping long enough to find rest in God (vs 5).He is powerful, His love is unfailing and one day we will find perfect rest in Him alone (vs 11-12).

Prayer: Lord help me to get rest. Help me to live thoughtfully to help those around me to get rest too.