Psalms 61:1

The Bible says in Psalms 61:1-4, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.[2] From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.[3] For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.[4] I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.” This Psalm is like many other Psalms: it is a prayer to the Lord. David prayed a lot, and we need to be talking to the Lord Jesus a lot too. God loves prayer because He loves hearing from us. The New Testament tells Christians, “Pray without ceasing,” and “In all things give thanks.”

In verse two David said, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee.” In other words wherever we go in life, we can always pray to the Lord. No one can stop us from praying because we have our minds and our hearts that we can lift up silently and secretly to Jesus our Savior at any moment and in any place. In America, they have forbidden prayer in schools. But you can still pray when you are in a school whether you are a teacher, a student, or an administrator. The real problem is that they took the study of the Bible out of the schools along with public prayer. Children need to hear the gospel of Christ which is from the Bible. Children need to hear the truth which is from the Bible. Children need to hear the ethics and morality which is found in the Bible. Children need to hear about the love of God as it is explained in the Bible. If they do not hear these things, their education will be severely incomplete, and they will not be prepared for life in all the ways that they need to be.

In verse two when David says, “my heart is overwhelmed,” David is referring to the fact that he knows that he cannot face life without help from God. That is an important truth to realize. We cannot face eternity without our Savior Jesus Christ, and we cannot face the troubles and difficulties and challenges of life without help from God. We are not strong enough, we are not big enough, we are not wise enough, and we are not good enough to face life on this earth. We need the Lord and Master Jesus.

In Psalm 61 verses two, three, and four David tells us some of the things that God is, and these things give David great security and a positive outlook on his future. In verse two he says that God is “the rock that is higher than I.” In verse three David called God a “shelter” and “a strong tower.” And so, as David thinks about how great God is, David says in the first part of verse four, “I will abide in thy tabernacle forever.” That is an expression of confidence in eternal security. David knew that his soul was eternally secure in the hands of the Almighty. Everyone who trusts in Christ as Savior should have this confidence because our salvation is dependent upon who God is and what He did for us when He was on the cross of Calvary. And so David says at the end of verse four, “I will trust in the covert of thy wings.” David made a good decision to keep trusting in the Lord. God protects and God provides. If you know that, then keep trusting in the Lord.

The Bible says in Psalms 61:5, “For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.” Of course, God heard David. God always hears us when we cry out to Him in the name of Jesus. At the end of verse five David states that he knows that he will be given the same blessing that everyone gets who has “fear” for God’s name. We respect God’s name and we honor God’s name because Jesus saved us from our sins. God is not a respecter of persons. He treats everyone the same way. You have the same heritage waiting for you in heaven that everyone else has who believes in Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 61:6, “Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations.” Our lives are in God’s hands. The Lord gives life and takes it when He will. David knew that God was keeping him alive. Why do some people die when they are fifty-six and someone else dies when they are sixty-eight? God’s will. It says in Hebrews 9:27, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Today might be your last day. Do not leave anything undone. Be right with Christ. Make the most of this day. Do what God wants you to do today.

The Bible says in Psalms 61:7, “He shall abide before God forever; and his years as many generations.” Concerning David’s existence, David knew that he would live forever. Of course, that is the greatest benefit of believing in Jesus. God lives forever, and so everyone who comes into contact with God through faith in Christ, will also live forever. It is wonderful to have confidence in eternal security. It is wonderful to know that when you die, you will live with God and with Jesus forever.

The Bible says in Psalms 61:7, “He shall abide before God forever; O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.” Still talking about eternal life, David joins the concept of eternal life with two great words: “mercy and truth.” How do we get eternal life: by experiencing the mercy of God when we come to know the truth about God. Jesus is the Truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” We need mercy because we are sinners. Mercy is when God does not give us what we deserve. Jesus died for all sins, and the death of Christ is applied to an individual when that individual admits his or her need of Christ in prayer to Jesus. Once you have done that, your sins are all taken away forever. The Bible calls that being converted, or being saved, or being born again. The worse thing that could ever happen to you is to die without ever having this experience with Christ. Do not die without mercy: turn to Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 61:8, “So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.” Once you know that you are saved through faith in Christ, you have every reason to praise Him. You will be praising Him forever in heaven, so why not start now? No one can ever take away your salvation, and so you always have a reason to praise God and be happy: Jesus loves you, and He proved it by dying in your place on the cross. You will never have anything that is better than that.

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