Psalm 62

How would you describe your life - when compared to a wall or a fence?

Are you stable and secure, and built on a firm foundation?

Or are you flimsy and wobbly, and about to fall over? 

How would you survive if you were under attack?

Do you resemble a random pile of bricks abandoned on a rough patch of ground?

Or does your life resemble a well-constructed wall, built on a solid foundation?

The writer of this Psalm seems to describe himself in two ways:

On the one hand, in his soul, he knows that he is secure, having found salvation in God, who he describes as “my rock and my salvation”.

But on the other hand, he is also aware of his own vulnerability. He knows that there are forces out there, who are against him and his God, who are wanting to destroy him. And in this context, he describes himself as a “leaning wall” and a “tottering fence”.

It is vital that he is aware of these forces of evil around him, and it is so important that he reiterates his resolve to put his trust in God alone, stating: Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall not be shaken.

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 shall never be shaken.

How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down:
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I shall not be shaken.
My salvation and my honour depend on God;
He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
‘Power belongs to you, God,
and with you, Lord, is unfailing love’;
and, ‘You reward everyone
according to what they have done.’

 Psalm 62 (NIV)

If we are going to continue following our God, in spite of everything that is going on in the world around us, we are going to need both his love and his power.