Faith In The Face Of Fear: Day Two
Download the PDF Here:
Faith In The Face Of Fear Day 2
Sign up to have the devotionals emailed to you:
Sign Up
Talking to Myself
My soul finds rest in God alone;
My salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Ps. 62:1-2
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
That phrase might sound familiar if you’re a parent. You ask your child to clean their room, and then come back in twenty minutes to find them watching a video on their phone. You tell them it’s time to get ready for bed, and they are struck with sudden and total hearing loss. You tell them to stop hitting their sister and they listen… until you’re out of the room, at which point the screams resume. Our children don’t always listen to us the first time we say something. Or the eighth time.
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
Yes, apparently.
Sometimes we’re the ones who need to be reminded of what has already been said. We tell ourselves certain things for our own good, but often we need to repeat ourselves.
Don’t eat that third piece of cake.
Don’t let that rude comment trigger you.
Don’t worry about your finances.
Thankfully, we’re not the only ones who talk to ourselves in this way. In Psalm 62 we find David repeating himself in a way that we can all relate with. The psalm opens with this strong statement:
“My soul finds rest in God alone.” (v. 1)
He’s writing this in a context of some pretty serious turmoil and opposition. We don’t know exactly what was going on, but vv. 3-4 describe him being assaulted and thrown down. There are people taking delight in lies and acting two-faced: they bless him with their mouths but curse him in their hearts. Maybe you can relate to some of those descriptions.
David may not be able to trust other people but he can trust God! His description of God is personal and powerful:
“My rock”
“My salvation”
“My fortress”
In the care of this God, of course his soul can rest! It’s a beautiful declaration of God’s sufficiency and sovereignty.
But David needs to repeat himself.
In verse 5, David says almost the exact same thing, but with a small shift:
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.”
Did you notice the difference between verses 1 and 5?
He is no longer talking about his soul – now he is talking to his soul.
He is no longer describing his soul as at rest – now he is telling his soul to rest.
This is a small change but it makes a big difference to me, and perhaps to you as well. It opens space for us in the midst of the up-and-down days of Covid 19. The fact is, I am trusting God. And, if I’m honest, I need to keep reminding myself to trust God. I rest in his strength and sovereignty – he is my rock and my fortress! And I still find myself drawn into worry as I watch the news or scroll through my feed.
Do I need to repeat myself?
Yes, almost daily.
Perhaps you can relate. As you think about your family, your finances, the future, or whatever else is worrying you, perhaps you need to remind yourself of what you already know: that God is the only place you can find rest. And if you have to remind yourself regularly, don’t beat yourself up – you’re in good company with David in Psalm 62.
David closes his psalm by telling us why we can trust God in the midst of our challenges:
One thing God has spoken,
Two things have I heard:
That you, O God, are strong,
And that you, O Lord, are loving.
Did you catch that? God is strong. And God is loving.
That’s an important combination. If God was strong but not loving, he would be either dangerous or indifferent. If he was loving but not strong, he could offer sympathy but no real help. But our God is loving enough to care for us and strong enough to do something about it.
That’s good news your soul can rest in.
Further Reading:
Psalm 62
Key Verse:
“Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.” (v. 8)
Calibration Prayer:
“Lord, like David, I trust you . . . and I need to remind myself to trust you. Thank you for your patience and your gentle persistence as I figure this out. I’m so glad that I can trust you at all times, Lord – and that includes this time. I rest in the good news that you are both strong and loving.