“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 will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2)

What does it mean when David says that his soul finds “rest”? In the KJV, it says “Truly my soul waiteth…” The word “waiteth” in the original Hebrew is “duwmiyah”, which translates to stillness or quiet. In the midst of the many assaults, conspiracies, and threats against him during the days of Absalom’s rebellion, David writes that he can still have stillness and quiet in his soul. Because of his utmost dependence on the Lord, he is provided the “peace that transcends all understanding.” (Phil 4:7)

Further as I read down in v2, the phrase “I will never be shaken” gave me a bit of pause. Because I know in my own Christian walk, there were many times where I felt “shaken”– be it because of my own sin, the sin of others, or the depravity of this world. So again I went to the original Hebrew to get more context, and that phrase in the KJV is actually written as “I shall not be greatly moved”. In Hebrew is the word “moved” is “mowt”, which means to be removed, carried, or exceedingly fall. It denotes a extreme shift or change in position, not merely a feeling of weariness or doubt.

God will use circumstances in our life to draw us closer to Him, and align us to His will. He may allow certain calamity and trials to manifest in our lives, in order to increase our faith in Him. Trials test our faith, which in turn produces perseverance (James 1:3).

While situations may bring temporary pain and hardships to our lives, David proclaims that God is our rock and our salvation, and we will never be removed or carried away from our position in Christ. Once we are TRULY stamped as a child of God by the Holy Spirit, we can not and will not fall away from our salvation (John 6:37)– in other words, we cannot be shaken. Praise God that we can claim our eternal positions as His covenant sons and daughters!

I know life is hard, and we certainly can’t expect things to go smoothly all of the time. I run into bad situations weekly, sometimes daily; but it’s up to me on how I react to those situations. When I go through rough times, am I like David and do I start proclaiming the promises of God in my life through Scripture, or do I forget about God, put Him on the back burner, and then try to deal with them on my own strength?

Heavenly Father, we love you and thank you for being our rock, salvation, and fortress. Help us to daily pick up our cross and follow You. Help us to look at every situation, circumstance, and trial in our life, through Your eyes and through the lens of eternity. Let us not get bogged down by temporary things, as each season will pass and our lives are but a vapor; but help us to follow You whole heartedly, knowing that there is purpose for every mountain that You take us up, and every valley that You walk WITH US through. Amen!

[From October 17, 2018]