Real Rest by Pastor Dave

“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.”
Psalm 62: 1-2
 
Psalm 62          
 
Observe

• David finds rest in God as He is his salvation and security (1-2)
• He describes his foes and their intentions, secret or otherwise (3-4)
• His faith and rest are reaffirmed in God because it is in God that he has salvation (5-7)
• David encourages others to trust in God (8)
• Rest cannot be found in status, high or low, trust should not be placed in riches (9-10)
• Real power can only be found in God who is the source of unfailing love; God rewards all accordingly and appropriately (11-12)

 
Interpret
     Essentially this Psalm is a statement of faith; it is not a prayer as a good number of David’s Psalms are. He is stating His faith in God, encouraging others to do the same, and teaching that we should not place our trust elsewhere. It is similar in content to Psalm 39, which is certainly more of a prayer. We can almost imagine David praying Psalm 39 and in His closeness to God, finding trust and rest, resulting in him making this statement filled with faith and praise. Both Psalms are to be given to Jeduthun, who we read is responsible for music and the singing of sacred songs. His sons are posted at the gates of the temple (1 Chronicles 16: 42); a family committed to the worship of God.
     In the main themes of this Psalm David points to God as the source of true, real rest, because God is the source of: salvation; security; hope; honour; power; and love. There will be enemies in life who are deceitful in motive and appear to care but God is the one that should be trusted. Trust is misplaced if status or riches are relied upon. Hearts will only find rest in God. Ultimately all will be rewarded according to what they have done.
      
Application
     At St. Aidan’s we have a vision statement of Real God, Real Church, Real Lives. The purpose of this statement is to encourage all of us to know God in reality and so for the Church to be His true Body and for our lives to be ones of discipleship; in short to be real in our faith. In this Psalm David says that he ‘truly’ finds rest in God and that God is ‘truly’ his rock and salvation. We could say here that God is our Real Rest and our Real Salvation.
    Real Rest, real peace in our hearts minds and lives, can only be found in God. This rest is a beautiful place of stillness and comfort that comes from the security we have in God, our rock and fortress. What shatters this rest is unbelief and disobedience (Hebrews 3: 18, 4: 2, 3, 9); a lack of trust. Belief and trust of God in our hearts gives us peace with God and the peace of God; Real Salvation. Peter tells us that God has given us everything we need for this rest in God, this life of godliness. We find what we need in God and His promises. Through faith and the power of His Holy Spirit we can build on our trust and grow in rest receiving our inheritance and a rich eternal reward (2 Peter 1: 3-11)
 
The Question of Application
     Which of God’s promises could you meditate and pray upon today to grow in rest and your relationship with God? Perhaps; ‘My salvation and my honour depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge,’ or ‘Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.
 
Prayer
     Lord God, in a challenging world we look to you as our rock of hope. Hear us as we pour out our hearts to you, and give us your grace and protection. Help us to place our trust in you the source of our rest and salvation. This we ask through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen   
 
Praise
Psalm 62 (My Soul finds Rest in God Alone) by Aaron Keyes
Good God Almighty by David Crowder