“A mighty fortress”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Psalm 62 (Forward, p. 94) CEV p. 590

Our author, none other than King David, felt himself to be sorely pressed upon, threatened and attacked on every side, and indeed, at various points of time he most certainly was. During his early boyhood as a shepherd it was not so much attacks or threats ‘from men’, as much as from the elements or wild beasts. And then, once enlisting in the service of King Saul, it was the danger of his sudden bursts of anger early on or of his relentless pursuit and harassment later.

Later on, as king himself, danger, threats and attacks were no stranger to David, both from within his own household and court, and without. Some of these dangers were obvious and easily seen, as evidenced by these words in verse 10:

“Don’t trust in violence or depend on dishonesty or rely on great wealth”

Violence, dishonesty and the problem of relying on one’s wealth were obvious issues, but it was the hidden things of the heart that were all the more threatening and dangerous:

“You want to bring me down from my place of honour. You love to tell lies, and when your words are kind, hatred hides in your heart” (verse 4).

And David is wise enough, astute enough, to recognize his own vulnerability when faced with these things. He feels as if they have ganged up together against him:

“I feel like a shaky fence or a sagging wall. How long will all of you attack and assault me?” (verse 3).

And so, David is very conscious of his need for God and for God’s help, and so he turns to God in trust and faith:

“Only God can save me, and I calmly wait for him. God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe and the fortress where I am secure” (verses 1-2);

“Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him. God alone is the might rock that keeps me safe, and his is the fortress where I feel secure. God saves me and honours me. He is that mighty rock where I find safety” (verses 5-7);

Did you notice how often David uses the words ‘only’ (as in ‘only God’) or ‘alone’ (‘God alone’)? David is quite sure that there is no other totally reliable and dependable person that he can go to.

And notice how God alone is his rock and his fortress, the One that he can trust and go to for safety, security and support.

And so, David’s counsel to others is pretty straightforward. Regarding human resources, he says:

“We humans are only a breath, none of us are truly great. All of us together weigh less than a puff of air” (verse 9).

And so, the help that we can gain from human sources is weak and unreliable at best. And so, it is best to turn to God:

“Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns. God is our place of safety” (verse8).

Accordingly, our lesson in this is clear. Amid the pressures, stresses, dangers and uncertainties of this life, we should go, first and foremost, to Almighty God. Sadly, we often forget to do so, or figure that our problems are too small (or too big) to ‘bother’ Him with. But big or small, simple or complex, He is able to handle them. He is our rock and our fortress in times of trouble or stress. And far more able, that either ourselves or those around us. And so, as David says, let us go to Him and pour out to Him our concerns and problems so that He can bear them and help us through them. Amen.

Forward notes: “For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation” (verse 1).

“Every year, my youth group makes a pilgrimage to the village of Taizé, France. During World War II, Brother Roger founded the Taizé Community, an ecumenical monastery of brothers from Catholic and Protestant traditions, with a focus on reconciliation, silence, and work. Our teenagers look forward to the week at the monastery every year. They are excited to hang out with other young Christians from all over the world, and they leave with deeper relationships with each other, their faith, and with God.

“Daily life at the monastery is grounded in prayer: morning, noonday, and evening prayer. At each service, we are invited to keep silence for approximately 10 minutes. This can sound intimidating to the uninitiated—30 whole minutes of silence every day! When we are out of practice with waiting for God, our minds can wander. Our thoughts fill with things like our to-do list, or what we ate this morning. Eventually, though, our souls do quiet. In the silence, we hear the voice of God.”

Moving Forward: “Set a timer for 10 minutes of silence today. Reflect on how your body and soul responds to this time of silence.”