What does it really mean for God to be Lord over your life? Are you surrendering your will to Him, allowing His guidance to shape your decisions and actions? In Psalm 62, David shows us how he trusted God as his refuge and strength, regardless of life’s trials. His example teaches us three key lessons on how to make God our ultimate foundation and guide in every situation.
Our first lesson that David teaches us about God being His Lord is that God was actually David’s source of rest and security. Verses 1-2 and 5-6 says, “My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. … My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2, 5-6) David is declaring that his soul finds rest in God alone, not in His kingship position, in who he knew or his fame, but David was calling God his “rock” and “stronghold.” David is demonstrating to us his need for God’s help; the state of his soul wanted to hear from God. This teaches us to trust God as the foundation of our peace and security, especially when life feels unstable.
The next lesson for us to learn is to remember that God is our defender. We are fleshly beings who tend to be very impatient and hot-headed when it comes to justice, vindicating ourselves, or the need to set the record straight. In verses 3 and 4, despite the threats and false accusations from his enemies, David chooses to trust in God’s defense. How many times has God told us to be quiet or let Him fight our battles? This reminds us that we can rely on God to protect us from harm and lies, even when others seek to bring us down. (“How long will you attack a man, That you may murder him, All of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? They have counseled only to thrust him down From his high position; They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouth, But inwardly they curse.” Psalm 62:3-4)
The last lesson is a doozey….waiting! We often struggle with waiting on the Lord simply because we feel the need to take matters into our own hands rather than trusting in God’s timing and sovereignty. I love how David says again in verse 1, “My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.” David speaks of waiting “in silence,” indicating a trust in God’s timing and faithfulness. Of course, it will not be easy and yes, we will be tempted to do it ourselves but that is where prayer and surrender comes in. This encourages us to patiently surrender to God’s plan. If we will allow God to work, He will show us that He will act at the right time rather than us rushing ahead with our own plans. In the meantime, we can see from David’s life that he too waited on God to act on his behalf all the while surrendering to God’s will. (“My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.” Psalm 62:5)
Psalm 62 shows how David made God Lord over his thoughts, actions, and life. When we make Jesus Lord, we trust Him as our unshakable foundation, relying on His protection and guidance, and submitting to His timing, even when we don’t understand the circumstances.