HOW DO YOU REACT TO DIFFICULTIES?
Psalm 62:1-2
1 For
God alone my soul waits in silence;
from
him comes my salvation.
2 He
alone is my rock and my salvation,
my
fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
David maintained a single focus through the difficult times.
He was dependent only upon God, he trusted only Him for his salvation, and he
knew that God alone was the stable ground on which to stand, his only
protection.
By his words, we observe that David’s resolve was not
momentary; it was not based on the circumstances or the length of the trial,
but on the character of God. He had put his complete trust in Him.
We should ask ourselves if that is where we also stand. It
is during difficulties when our hearts and our resolve become exposed. It is
easy to give lip service to our belief and trust in God, but trials expose very
quickly where our heart is, just as David’s reactions show us where his heart
was.
David waited in silence, without being shaken. His silence
exposed his trust, for he did not complain through the trial. Our first exam
during a trial is our mouth! What do people hear from us? We tend to quickly
justify our complaining or our outright anger. We call it venting, or ‘thinking
out loud’. We think that it is
inconsequential, but it never is. It is exposing that our hearts are rebelling
against God. We tend to think that we are just dealing with people, but in
reality we are always dealing with our Lord.
When we complain, become bitter, or get angry, our reactions
always offend God. We are rebelling against God’s sovereignty, His care for us,
His wisdom, and His timing. David knew his God well, and therefore he also knew
His character, His wisdom, His power, and wisdom. Maybe we do not know God well
enough, maybe we have not reflected enough on Him during our circumstances, and
our focus has merely been on us and those around us.
David’s mouth exposed his heart, and his demeanor was also
evidence of his trust in God. He was not shaken; his world did not fall apart.
David did not waiver or fear, he knew very well who was in control and who was
really the hand behind his circumstances.
Dear friends, what are your difficulties exposing in your responses?
In what way is your mouth voicing the state of your heart? How is your
emotional state exposing your focus?
We all remember moments in which we have failed in the past;
maybe some are wondering right now how to bring their heart and feelings under
control. The Lord, through this psalm, is calling us to think on Him, to look
away from people or circumstances.
David’s enemies were real!
Psalm 62:3-4
3 How
long will all of you attack a man
to
batter him,
like
a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 They
only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
They
take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless
with their mouths,
but
inwardly they curse. Selah
His enemies were trying to make him fall, they were lying
about him, and they were pretending to say nice things about, but hated him.
Although we do not know in which instance of David’s life this psalm was
written, we certainly know that he experienced the betrayal of his family and
friends. David’s life was not easy, but his trust in God never wavered.
David needed to remind himself to trust in God, the same way
we also need to do.
Psalm 62:5-7
5 For
God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for
my hope is from him.
6 He
only is my rock and my salvation,
my
fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On
God rests my salvation and my glory;
my
mighty rock, my refuge is God.
David was convinced that God was his rock of refuge, and had
deep and sure trust in God. How long we are willing to wait exposes the depth
of our dependence on God; the length of our silence exposes how true our trust is;
the peace of our demeanor exposes how much we truly trust our God.
David’s resolve reminds us that our trust must be in God
alone. When we trust ourselves or others alongside with God, we will feel
overwhelmed and are often disappointed. We must have a single focus. At the
end, only one Person will receive the glory, because we know that through Him
all things come together.
Even when our circumstances are more pleasant, we should
guard ourselves from taking personal credit for what is happening. Our
awareness of our dependence on God should be constant, our gratefulness should
be evident, and our praise for God should be heartfelt.
May God help us to refocus our lives upon Him, and may our
lives invite other people to trust God for their salvation, their hope, and
their refuge.
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