My Rock and My Salvation

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken (Psalm 62:1, 2). Sometimes it's hard to wait in silence, isn’t it? When the charging bull gets closer and closer, it’s hard to stay still. I remember hearing when I was young that when you see a snake the best thing you can do is stand still. It seems my feet never got that good advice.

And yet, that is exactly what God expects us to do. The things in this life that afflict us are real and serious. Now, you may not think what is serious to me is very serious and someone may think you are all excited over nothing, but it is real to you, isn’t it? And no amount of explaining or qualifying is going to make you think it is not serious. It is serious and it hurts! There is only one way you can truly find relief and that is to wait patiently on the Lord. Isaiah talked about those who wait on the Lord: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary (Isaiah 40:28-31). If you will wait patiently on the Lord, He will give you the strength you need to get through this tough time.

The psalmist said that only God was his rock and salvation. Here is the encouraging part. He can be your Rock and Salvation, too. He is the Only One Who can solve, really solve, the problems you have in life. No, He may not make the bill collectors suddenly go away and He might not keep you from losing your job, but He can make even those things work out for good according to His purpose if you will trust Him (Romans 8:28). I promise you this, if you submit your life to His will, His purpose will result in your good more than you can ever imagine, even if it doesn’t feel very good at the time.

Would you not like to have a stronghold into which you could retreat at the first sign of trouble, where nothing or no one could get to you? Well, you have one if you will let God be your Stronghold. Think about that, for a moment. Not even the most powerful enemy any of us has (the god of this world; the devil, 2 Corinthians 4:4) can get to you. He can hurt you and can distract you, but he cannot breach your Stronghold. God wants to be your Stronghold. He wants to make it so that no one can hurt you enough to destroy you.

When you stop and think about the kind of relationship you can have with God, it becomes a little easier to say, “I will not be greatly shaken.” You do not have to be shaken. You may shake a little bit when you look out the window this morning or think about what awaits you today, but you do not have to be shaken. You can walk out that door today with your head held high, with confidence that there is nothing that can happen to you that will come between you and your salvation if you will not let it. I know I am weak sometimes and may let something come between me and my heavenly Father, but it is an encouragement to me to know that my heavenly Father is not weak and if I will repent and come back to Him, He will take care of me.

Take these words of advice and comfort with you today and the rest of the week: My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah (Psalm 62:5-8). You have this hope because God loves you and I wanted to share it with because I love you, too.