Psalm 62

Do you need some stability in your life? Do you often feel like you are swaying back and forth because of all the different forces in life? If you answered, “yes,” then you have something in common with David as he wrote Ps 62. Psalm 62 is a psalm of confidence. David expresses his need to turn to God for stability in his life. God alone is truly stable. Augustine, in the 3rd century, spoke of the restlessness of the human soul until it finds rest in God: "You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you" (Confessions, 1.1).

David begins the psalm with a declaration of trust (v. 1). He gains a sense of inner stillness that comes with yielding all fears, anxieties, and insecurities to God in an act of confidence. This confidence in God alone allows David to use words such as, “rock,” “fortress,” and “refuge,” to describe God as well as the stability gained by trusting in him. Apart from God David sees himself as a “leaning wall” and a “tottering fence” (v. 3). The original context of the psalm is unknown but the words suggest David is assaulted by wicked people who he encounters day after day (vv. 4, 9). But people are not the sole source of his instability. Perhaps his troubles are also the result of placing too much trust in his wealth (v. 10). The exact cause of David’s restlessness is a mystery. Nonetheless, his secure foundation is God alone (vv. 5-7). David’s personal experience of having God as his refuge moves him to encourage his faith community to do the same (v. 8). He uses his personal faith to stimulate faith in others. Individual faith and communal faith go hand in hand.

David ends Ps 62 by teaching that God’s power and love go hand in hand (vv. 11-12). The combination of God’s power with his love is truly wonderful. As Stewart Perowne wrote, “This is the only true representation of God. Power without love is brutality, and love without power is weakness. Power is the strong foundation of love, and love is the beauty and the crown of power.”

The world tempts us to make it the source of stability in our lives. From people to money, the world asks us to place our confidence where it does not belong. The world and all that it offers is unstable. It is shaky ground at best. Psalm 62 calls us to make God the bedrock of our lives. He is our rock, fortress, and refuge. Only when we seek the stability God brings will we experience his calm, his peace. This stillness is like the peace of God which passes all understanding that will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).