You Are Not the Only One

Psalm Chapter 62 (KJV): Trust him, at all times  (Unless otherwise stated all scriptures in this devotional are from the King James Version of the Bible-which is public domain!)

Context

In this prayer, David writes about facing treason from someone whom he trusted, the liars and hypocrisy that he met. In spite of all of that he remains confident in the deliverance that he will receive from God.

1Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. ² He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

David does not begin this prayer with a complaint. Instead, he affirms his confidence in God to deliver him beyond the limitations of his circumstances. He repeats Isaiah 12:2“Behold, God [is] my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH [is] my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation.” 

Friends when our friends fail us. When fairweather friendships, deception, and outright betrayal comes our way, we must refer to the source of our strength.  This world will no bring us peace; only Jesus can do that. People are not consistent in their love for overs. Only Jesus remains firm. He is our foundation and our rock.

³ How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. ⁴ They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

The psalmist knows that he is in the middle of a situation for which he has no victorious response. He knows that his enemies are gathered together to discuss his end. He repeats a refrain that is used un several of the psalms that he has written [4:2; 6:3; 13:1– 2; 35:17; 74:10; 79:5; 80:4; 89:46; 90:13; 94:3; 119:84]. “How long” denotes that the psalmist has been suffering for some time. Although the prayer shows the writers consternation, it also shows his faith in God’s deliverance. He states “ ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence” he knows that his deliver will deliver him from their hands and that they will be rewarded for what they have done.

My fortress/rock and my salvation.

⁵ My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. ⁶ He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. ⁷ In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. ⁸ Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

We must realize that we cannot expect absolute deliverance from any human being. As the psalmist stated, “⁵ My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” His rock is his deliverer. He will trust only in him for deliverance.  Men will fail governments will fail, human beings will plan, plot, scheme, whine, complain, bring to the mind the problems that exist in this world, but only God can give us internal peace. So, “⁸ Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” He continues his expectations of human beings and solidifies his argument that only GOD can be expected to CONTINUE to deliver him. Friends if we remember nothing from this devotional, please remember verse 7 of this psalm. Acts 4:10-12  tells New Testament Christians

“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.” Remember this, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

God’s word reminds us of the covenantal promises that he made with us. In Romans 8:28, he declares, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.” He does not like wishy-washy Christians. He expects us to live our faith, not just in church, but in all areas of our lives. Revelation 3:16  reminds us that “…. because of thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” We don’t want him to deny us because our words, thoughts, and actions deny him.

When compared with God humans leaders are nothing. 

⁹ Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. ¹⁰ Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

Subjugation is the only form of rulership that human leaders know. They will always find something negative, nasty, and subversive to say about their enemies. To gain absolute authority, they will build castles based on fear, lies, intimidation, hypocrisy, and gossip. They will oppress the weak and steal from them to support their image, platform, and or ideology. The psalmist tells us not to trust in the vanity of positions or our own egos. Jealousy is one of the most egregious sins in this world. We have a tendency to stroke the egos of people who agree with us, who makes us feel special, who strokes our egos, and worse of all people who join in our gossip about others. Flea from such a person. If they are engaged in trash talk against someone whom both of you know, then flea as fast as you can. It will develop into cancer in your soul. 1 Timothy 6:17-19  tells us “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;” “Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

God has spoken 

¹¹ God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. ¹² Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

The psalmist is not saying that he has only heard God speak twice. He is stating that there are two absolute things that he has heard about God. These two things will never ever change.

1. God is powerful and loyal to his people “r loyal love; ḥ esed” (Longman 2014, 246). “Power belongeth unto God’  Thus, he will not let his servant the psalmist suffer at the hands of those who assault him.
2. Second,” for thou renderest to every man according to his work.” God’s judgment ensures that each person will receive what they deserve. This implies that David will be rescued from his enemies, and they will be punished. It also implies eternal punishment. All, people who hate God and his children can look forward to eternal punishment, but God has a plan for them. Romans 10:9-10  (KJV)tells us how sinners can escape their eternal doom.⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your hand of protection against my enemies.

Reference

Longman, Tremper, III. 2014. Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. Accessed August 17, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.