God is our fortress and refuge

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.” (Psalms 62:1-2 NIV)

Have we had times when all seems to be going well in our lives, and especially in our relationship with God? We feel confident in our salvation and we are resting knowing that he is there. We trust God: he is our fortress – nothing could shake us because of our trust in him. But then life tumbles in!

“How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down – this leaning wall, this tottering fence? Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.” (Psalms 62:3-4)

It may be people that come against us and try to harm us or to disadvantage us in some way. Perhaps it is like what David faced – those against us delight in telling lies about us. To our face they speak wonderful words while in their hearts, and perhaps behind our backs, they are saying or thinking terrible things about us. We were at peace and suddenly our lives have been upended. What do we do?

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” (Psalms 62:5-8)

We we must do is to remember that our source of hope and strength is not ourselves or those around us – it is God. We find our rest and hope in him. He is always there, solid as a rock. He is our fortress and the only one who can save us. Even when our world caves in with people attacking us all around, God is still there. This is why we can get through the bad times. There is no need to be shaken because our trust is in God.

Sometimes people react to the difficulties of life by turning away from God. “How could God let this happen to me?” we may think. But if we trust in God at all times it means not only when all is going well (from our perspective) but when things look hopeless and we have no where to turn. We need to remember that God is our refuge – he is the one we should be turning towards. We can pour out our heart to him, telling him our frustrations and worries. Worry doesn’t do us any good and doesn’t solve our problems – so give those to God who can deal with them and provide the refuge we need.

“Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: ‘Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord, is unfailing love’; and, ‘You reward everyone according to what they have done.’” (Psalms 62:9-12)

The bottom line is this: who do we trust? Ourselves? – yet we know we let people down. Those around us? – but there is no security there. Our possessions? – as David put it, if weighed on a balance even what we have is nothing, only a breath. Think about that. A breath doesn’t last long and has no weight.

We need to remember who God is. He is the one who has the power to deal with all our problems and his love never fails. We should take comfort that God rewards us according to what we do, not what others say about us.

Trust in God, our fortress.

Photo by Jon Galloway – Stirling Castle fortifications.

Readings for next week: Psalms 60–72