Psalms 62:1

The Bible says in Psalms 62:1, “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.” Many of the Psalms have been prayers. This verse tells us what to do after you have prayed: wait upon God. You have put your requests into God’s hands through Jesus’ name, and now God will act because God always answers prayers. But we must wait upon God’s time. Sometimes God waits years, and so we must show our faith in Him by waiting as long as He wants us to wait. Because David prayed, he had confidence that God would answer him and take care of him. David said confidently, “from him cometh my salvation.” If you know that Jesus has saved your soul, then you can know that He will take care of you in this life too.

The Bible says in Psalms 62:2, “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.” David thought about the good things about God, and David applied those things to his own life. A “rock” is a firm foundation that cannot be moved. If you do not have Jesus as a “rock” in your life, you will not have a firm foundation. You will be easily moved from one idea to another. You will sink when certain storms come your way in life. You will definitely sink at the judgment. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:[25] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.[26] And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:[27] And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

Because God was David’s rock, salvation, and defense, David said in Psalm 62:2, “I shall not be greatly moved.” There are some pretty bad storms of life that can hit you. They will rock you. Some people’s lives get absolutely shattered by what happens to them. The best way to be prepared so that you will not be “greatly moved” is to make sure through faith in Jesus that He is your rock, your salvation, and your defense. He will give you determination, He will give you hope, and He will give you purpose no matter what happens to you.

The Bible says in Psalms 62:3, “How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.” In the first part of this verse David asks a question. When will the wicked stop scheming against the people of God? Do not hold your breath. But there is an end coming for them because God is God over all. They will fall down, and when they fall down, they will be at the feet of Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 62:4, “They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.” This is another verse about the wicked and their attitude and how they think. If you have a good spirit, you should rejoice in other people’s successes, and congratulate them when they do well. Wicked people are the opposite of this. Wicked people are jealous when others succeed, and will try “to cast him down from his excellency.” Wicked people also are liars. They even lie about what is really going on in their hearts. Even when “they bless,” inwardly “they curse.” Jesus has an answer for that problem: it is called repentance and forgiveness.

The Bible says in Psalms 62:5-7, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.[6] He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.[7] In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” In the face of many lying and cruel enemies, these verses tell us what David decided to do about it. David decided to wait upon God and to see what God would do. In verse six David said that “He only is my rock and my salvation…” In other words, David knew that there was no one else that he could go to. Some people never learn to go to Jesus with their problems and concerns. They find a human being to confess to instead of Jesus. They find a friend to talk to instead of Christ. They look for help in all the wrong places. David knew who God was and that is why David knew that he could wait and see what God would do. Twice in these verses David called God a “rock.” And twice David called God his “salvation.” David also called God his defense, his strength, and his refuge. God will be your solid foundation, God will save you, God will defend you, God will give you strength, and God will be a place of refuge where you can run and hide. David knew these things about God, and so David knew that he could wait and see what God would do for him.

The Bible says in Psalms 62:8, “Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” This verse tells us how anyone can experience all the benefits of who God is: salvation, defense, strength, refuge. First you must “Trust in him at all times.” To trust means to put your confidence in God. It means to believe. But it is a high standard because it says “at all times.” Pray without ceasing. Walking with the Lord Jesus means to trust in Him every moment for everything that comes into your life. And that means to “pour out your heart before him.” All of your hopes, desires, fears, and sins must be poured out to God. God loves you and He wants to share everything in your heart with you. True Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship with Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalms 62:9, “Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.” If you do not learn to trust in God and live by faith in Jesus every moment, this verse describes what your life and your true essence will be like. A man of “low degree” is someone who does not have a lot of power. That includes most people. Life is like a pyramid with many at the bottom and a few at the top. People often fight and scheme to get more power and to rise higher on the ladder of life. The right way to do it is to learn knowledge and a skill based upon your abilities and opportunities, work hard, be honest, and treat others fairly. If you believe and follow Jesus, God will put you in the position that He wants you to have, and He will use you there for the most important work of all: to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ in the way that you work, follow orders, and help others on the job. Those who do not serve Christ, whether they are low or high on the food chain, and whether they are rich or poor, have wasted lives. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”

The Bible says in Psalms 62:10, “Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” Those who do not trust in the Lord will trust in someone or something else. Some will trust “in oppression.” In other words, they will try to get to the top through crushing others. That is compared to “robbery.” If you take from someone else what they should have gained, then you are the same as a thief. This includes stealing the credit for their ideas or their work. In the age in which we live, and with all the opportunities around us, some will come into riches the right way. If that happens to you, then this verse in Psalms tells you, “if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” Jesus said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” If you have more money than you need, then that money is a responsibility to help others and to help spread the gospel of Christ. If you do not use your money the right way, then you are described in James 5:1-5, “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.[2] Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.[3] Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.[4] Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.[5] Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.”

The Bible says in Psalms 62:11-12, “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.[12] Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.” Maybe David heard the voice of God. A few people have. In the age of the New Testament in which we live we are spoken to by the written Word of God as the Spirit applies it to our hearts. David heard an important statement to believe: “power belongeth unto God.” That means that God can do anything, and it means that He has done everything. Power does not belong to a leader of a country or to a leader of anything. Power belongs to God. If you believe that, then you will be a person of prayer. You will have much assurance and confidence knowing that all that power is at your disposal because God loves you. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

The Bible says in Psalm 62:12, “Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.” In addition to power God has something else that it is important for us to remember: mercy. God is not required to be merciful to us because without mercy we would simply be receiving what we deserve. God does render “to every man according to his work.” God does that because God is holy and God is the Judge of the whole earth. Jesus went to the cross to satisfy God’s holy anger against sin. It is only because of Jesus that we can have the mercy of God. It is very important to believe in the mercy of God through faith in Christ. Some people suffer greatly because of guilt. Jesus can take away the burden of guilt because of His great mercy. Make sure that you have called upon the name of the Lord Jesus and that you have experienced His mercy for you.

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