For God Alone My Soul Waits
…or how to subvert the empire.
We so often find ourselves looking for a savior. We want our own personal Jesus Christ. We want someone who will fight for us. We want someone who will stand for us and protect us from all those people who we perceive to be our enemies. This mindset is not something new, we have seen it throughout history. The desire for a strong man drove the people of God to reject God and embrace a king, it has driven countless societies to embrace tyrants.
Psalm 62 challenges us to not walk down that path.
To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will all of you attack a man
to batter him,
like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse. Selah
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
Those of low estate are but a breath;
those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than a breath.
Put no trust in extortion;
set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
For you will render to a man
according to his work. (Psalm 62, ESV)
That opening stanza! Oh that opening stanza! That speaks sweet relief to my soul. How would we be different if we would but embrace this truth? “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”
I see so many people in my life who are being “greatly shaken” right now. They are shaken by the state of the world for one reason or another. If you are feeling shaken remember this sweet truth from Psalm 62, God alone is your rock and salvation, your fortress, therefore, do not be greatly shaken!
The world around us is driven by fear. The power players of the empire leverage fear to consolidate their power and take more from those around them. We can subvert the power structures by living a transcendent faith knowing that they will not save us. They are not our protectors. No, when we embrace the reality that God is our deliverer and redeemer we take the power from the empire.
For God Alone My Soul Waits was originally published in The Rev on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.