A Calm Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, like a leaning wall and a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his high position; they delight in lies; they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah
My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah Surely men of low degree are a vapor, men of high degree are a lie; if they are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor.
Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work.”
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. “ We aren’t certain when in David’s long career this psalm was written; however, David is obviously facing stiff opposition and criticism. Steve Jobs once said, “If you want to make people happy, don’t be a leader, sell ice cream.” Being a leader makes you a target for people’s complaints, their criticisms, their schemes, and their desire to depose you so that they might take over, as evidenced by the next few verses.
“How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, like a leaning wall and a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his high position; they delight in lies; they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah” If a leader is truly righteous, anytime someone begins to attack that leader, he or she is on a very shaky foundation that will likely collapse at any moment. Unfortunately, that fact fails to prevent people from nosing around to find any dirt possible or even to manufacture lies. And sometimes those who praise you the most and say the most comforting things are simply trying to worm their way into your affections so that they will have more material for criticism.
“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” People may fail us but God will never fail us. When we rely on God, we can be confident that He will give us His best. God is the One who can defend us from all threats, including schemes about which we know nothing.
“Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah Surely men of low degree are a vapor, men of high degree are a lie; if they are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor.” No matter how important and powerful our friends are, they can die at any moment. If we rely on the poor, they may be bought. If we rely on the rich, they may sell us to the highest bidder. Compared to God, all people are nothing but a weightless vapor floating in the air.
“Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God. Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work.” Those who trust in oppression or robbery are likely to find themselves oppressed and robbed. Money can evaporate; just ask anyone unfortunate enough to have lost their life savings in a Ponzi scheme or the collapse of a savings and loan.
APPLICATION: Once more, we are considering a psalm for the embattled. During the years when I headed mission hospitals, this psalm was one of my favorites and it was underlined, highlighted, and commented upon in several of my Bibles. Now that I use an e-reader, I still paste comments, and it is fascinating to read those remarks and remember how we were suffering at the time I wrote them.
My experiences as a leader have taught me several truths, many of which David has captured in this brief psalm. Repeatedly, those in authority to whom I am to answer have proven to be “vapors,” nothing more than smoke that floats away in the first high wind. Rich and powerful people can change their minds without notice, leaving institutions depending on them struggling to survive. National considerations and tribal ones may lead to a withdrawal of support. And then there is the impact of international events.
In the wake of September 11, 2001, many charitable organizations witnessed a precipitous downslide in charitable giving. Groups that had supported mission hospitals for large sums of money were forced to curtail their support or to withdraw altogether. The recent COVID outbreak hurt as well when businesses that had been flourishing were forced into bankruptcy. The Ebola scare of 2014 caused many groups to focus their attentions on Latin America or India or the Far East, further damaging support for African institutions.
I am not saying all these things to whine but to point out that God is the only One who has not changed throughout all these crises. God is our only dependable Source. If God has called you to a work, God will protect and sustain you. Trust Him and Him alone. He is faithful!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us have never known a father’s care because our fathers were absent in some fashion. Lord, help all of us to trust You and to expect You to guide and provide for us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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