O Soul, Be Not Shaken

Things don't always go the way you think they will. Sometimes the surprises of life seem more like violent interruptions. David wrote Psalm 62 at a time when his son, Absalom, was leading a revolt against him. This must have been a source of great pain for David. This certainly isn't what he would have thought would happen when Abasalom was born. David was emotionally grieved, for sure.

In the middle of Psalm 62 (verses 5-7) David has a conversation with his soul. In this conversation David reminds himself of who his God is and what the Lord has done for him. God is his hope. God is his rock. God is his salvation. God is his stronghold. God alone. David speaks these great truths to himself and as a result his soul will not be shaken. In verse 8 David encourages others to trust the Lord at all times. He exhorts us to pour out our hearts before the Lord. If your heart is full of grief, you can pour that out. The Lord cares. The Lord hears. We can call upon Him at anytime from anywhere in any circumstance.

This is a good and timely reminder for me. Today I was anticipating one of the greatest weekends of my life. Tonight my son, Ben, graduates from high school. Tomorrow, my son, Billy graduates from college. It doesn't get much better than this for me and my wife, Roberta. However, early this morning I received a call from my brother informing me that my mother had died. My mom's health had not been good in recent years. She would be unable to attend the graduations, but lately she seemed to be doing ok and we were looking forward to seeing her on Sunday. She fell during the night on Wednesday and that was more than her fragile system could handle. Her death was not what I was expecting.

Obviously, this will impact our weekend. We need grace and strength from our Rock and Savior. Thankfully we can find all we need in Him. We can pour out our griefs to Him. He can grant us an eternal perspective on the events of this weekend. God is our refuge.

Only in God is my soul at rest. O my soul, be not shaken.