Psalms 62

The Explanation

Psalm 62 is a song, but it does not sound like a happy song. It sounds like someone who is tired. Someone who has been under attack for a long time.

Listen to how it starts: "My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him." The word "soul" here means something like: everything inside me, my deepest self. And that deepest self is quiet. Not because everything is going well, but because the singer has decided where he is going to look.

He calls God three things at once: a rock, a salvation, a fortress. Those are not soft words. A rock is what you stand on when the ground is slipping. A fortress is a stronghold of stone where arrows cannot reach you. The singer is picturing himself somewhere high up, out of reach.

Because there are people who want to get him. In verse 3 he suddenly speaks to them: "How long will you assault a man?" He compares himself to a leaning wall and a wobbly fence. You know what those are like. One good shove and they fall. Apparently he already feels half fallen, and his enemies want to finish the job.

And how do they do it? Not mostly with swords. With words. "They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly." So to his face they are friendly. Behind his back they wish him dead. That is a very specific kind of pain, and the psalm does not pretend it is nothing.

Then, in verse 5, something interesting happens. The singer starts talking to himself: "My soul, wait in silence for God alone." He is coaching himself. He repeats almost exactly what he said at the beginning, as if he needs to hear it a second time. But there is a tiny difference. In verse 2 he said, "I will never be greatly shaken." In verse 6 he says, "I will not be shaken." The little word "greatly" is gone. He has grown more certain while he was singing.

In verse 8 he turns to everyone listening: "Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him." Pour out. Like emptying a jug completely, until nothing is left in the bottom. That is what you may do with God.

The end of the psalm weighs people and money on a scale and finds them surprisingly light. Important people, unimportant people, stolen riches, growing bank accounts: put them all in the balance and they weigh less than a breath. And then, twice, comes what really counts. Power belongs to God. And loving kindness belongs to God too.

What Does This Mean?

This psalm does not say: cheer up, it will all be fine. It says something better and harder. It says you can be quiet inside while the storm outside is still going.

Notice that the singer never claims his enemies have gone away. They are still whispering at the end of the psalm. What changed is where he is standing. He moved from the wobbly fence to the rock.

And notice that he had to tell himself twice. Faith is often like that. You know something is true and you still have to say it again tomorrow morning. That is not weak faith. That is honest faith, and God is not annoyed by it.

The Common Thread

Verses 11 and 12 put two things side by side that people usually keep apart. Power belongs to God. And loving kindness belongs to God. A God who is only powerful would be frightening. A God who is only kind would be unable to help. This God is both.

Centuries later, Jesus stood in front of people who blessed him with their mouths and cursed him inwardly. He was thrown down from his lofty place, exactly like the psalm describes. And he was not shaken. In him you see the power and the loving kindness in one person, standing in the same place.

For You

Somewhere this week someone may say something about you that is not true. Or say something sweet to your face and something else in the group chat. When that happens you will feel like a leaning wall. Shaky.

Here is what you can actually do. Find two minutes alone and pour it out. Say it all to God, even the ugly parts, even the part where you want revenge. Do not tidy it up first. Then say out loud, "God is my rock." You may not feel it. Say it anyway. Say it again tomorrow.

And keep an eye on the scale in verse 9. The opinion of the coolest kid in your class weighs less than a breath. Let that sink in.

Talk About It

Why do you think the singer had to say the same thing twice in this psalm? Does that ever happen to you?

What would it look like to "pour out your heart" to God? What would you find hard to say to him?

Praying Together

God, you are a rock and I am often a wobbly fence. Thank you that I can pour out everything to you, even what I would rather not say out loud. Make me quiet inside, also when things around me are not quiet. You have the power and you have the love. Amen.