Psalm 62

My Rock; My Fortress

/ The Pastor

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Psalms 62:1-2 (ESV)

Oh, God,
my soul waits for You,
from You comes my salvation.
Therefore You are my rock; my fortress
I shall not be shaken.

Many assail against me,
this culture condemns my trust in You.
But You are my rock; my fortress
I shall not be shaken.

Satan seeks to draw me away,
he’s wily in all his ways.
But You are my rock; my fortress
I shall not be shaken.

Many say, “put your trust in the princes of this world“;
“find your fortress in them“.
But You are my rock; my fortress
I shall not be shaken.

The rulers of this world say I must be quiet;
that I must acquiesce to their demands.
But You are my rock; my fortress
I shall not be shaken.

False prophets speak elegant words;
drawing many away from the Truth.
But You are my rock; my fortress
I shall not be shaken.

Ill health or injury may bring despair;
bringing frustration and hopelessness.
But You are my rock; my fortress
I shall not be shaken.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
Psalms 62:5-8 (ESV)

The Pastor -|—

Firm footing

/ The Pastor

Psalm 62:1
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

I have never experienced an earthquake before but from what I have heard from others it is an unsettling experience.  Something that is supposed to be firm, stable and safe is all of a sudden shaky, unstable and dangerous.  The ground is supposed to be a safe haven.

This same mentality is true in other areas of our lives where we put our ultimate trust in people or things.
–Financial markets
–Relationships
–Career
–Talents
–Family
–Intelligence

…and the list could go on.

I am reminded of the verses from 1 Corinthians 10:12 that reads, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall!”  Paul goes on to talk about temptation and how God won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle; always providing a way out for us.  But the problem comes when we become over-confident in our so-called firm standing.  A firm standing that is outside any relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

There are many well meaning people who think they are standing firm based on their worldly success and material possessions.  But as we have seen in this fragile economy, worldly success can come crashing down very quickly.
–People of high social standing can succumb to temptation and fall.
–The strongest of relationships can be torn apart.
–Careers can come to an end in a blink of an eye.
–A pop of the knee can end a promising athletic future.

Earthquakes of all kinds happen…and they happen everyday.  People we never thought would fall have fallen.

Maybe even you.

But…

When we find refuge in God.
When we place our future in God.
When we stand on God’s promises.
When we trust in God’s faithfulness.
When we find our treasure in God’s love.
When God is our fortress…

…then we will not be shaken.  As Psalm 46 says, “…though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging…” we will stand firm.

In the midst of a shaky world, find your rest in God through Jesus Christ.  Find stable footing on the promises of our faithful God; for the foundation of God is the only thing that will ultimately stand.

-edh-