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“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 will never be shaken. … Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:1-2, 5 NIV
As I read through this Psalm in a few different translations I was caught by how different some of these words are translated into English. Above we read about the soul “finding rest” in God while other translations say that the psalmist’s soul “waits in silence” (ESV). At first, I wondered how these two fit together; how could the same word end up being translated as these two things that, at least on the surface, seem quite different in the English language.
But then I got thinking about the times when my soul is restless.
The first thing that came to my mind was how my soul just feels overwhelmed and “loud” when I’m stressed out or don’t have time to rest. The items on the to-do lists swarm around. The hurtful things people say play on repeat in my brain. The voices of other people and their expectations become a horrible cacophony of sound I can’t escape.
If you read Psalm 62 in its entirety, you can see that David felt that too. He wondered even how long God would seemingly be against him. He talked about those who had hurt him or stolen from him. He tried to sort through when people were speaking truth and when they were flat out lying to him. In it all he kept coming back to this refrain: My soul finds rest, or silence, in God alone.
Maybe finding rest and waiting in silence aren’t all that different. In all that’s loud, David finds that peace comes only as he tunes in to the One true God. In the final two verses he describes why looking to God leads to a quieted soul as he remembers God’s power, strength, and never-ending love.
When everything around us gets loud or overwhelming we can remember that God is more powerful than those that try to harm us, gives strength when we are weak, and in it all covers us with a love that is sure and steady no matter what happens in life. That’s a pretty good reason to rest.
Journal/Reflection Questions
- As you read through Psalm 62, what ways do you relate to David and some of the things he seems to be going through? What are the things that cause your heart to feel overwhelmed or “loud” right now?
- Why do you think David emphasized that God ALONE could bring the rest or peace to David’s soul?
Prayer
Jesus, when life gets loud help me come back again and again to you to find rest. Just like David remind me that even when I have questions for you or people are not treating me well, you have my best interest in mind. You are powerful. You are strong. You love me, always. Help me see that love today. Amen
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