In Psalm 61, David is crying out to God because his heart is overwhelmed. We don’t know what happened, but it always strikes me as interesting when I see David write psalms like these.
David is a man who knew warfare and violence. The average person probably wouldn’t have the stomach to do a fraction of the things David did. That leads me to wonder…what could have happened to a man like David that he would say his heart was overwhelmed? Whatever it may have been, it gives me a certain encouragement to know that even a hero like David, a man who was used by God in so many ways, had times when he was overwhelmed.
I also find it interesting that a man who was battle-hardened is crying out to God talking about defensive positions (“up on the rock, a shelter, a strong tower, the tabernacle and the cover of God’s wings”). David is remembering the hiding places that the Lord provides. I recently heard someone say it like this: “Peace is not found in your distance from trouble, but in your proximity to the Lord.”
There’s a Christian discipline underlying David’s message here. It’s one we might not talk about much, and it’s certainly not a popular discipline in our culture today. It’s the ability to wait.
The rock, the tower, the tent, and the wing don’t stop the battle or the storms that David would be going through. Instead, they’re places where David can wait them out.
Today, there’s very little we have to wait for. We live in an on-demand world. But the Bible says repeatedly that waiting, especially waiting on the Lord, is actually good for us. For instance:
Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:25-26 “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.”
Our ability to wait – patience – is also a fruit of the spirit, and the first characteristic of love listed in 1 Corinthians 13. If you need help being patient and waiting on the Lord, remember God’s own patience towards you. See 1 Timothy 1:15-16.
And we see at the end of the psalm that in his waiting, David is confident that the Lord will help him achieve what God has called him to do.
It’s easier said than done – but please – wait on the Lord, church!
