The emphasis of this psalm is in 2 areas—waiting on the Lord and recognizing God alone as your source for all you need.
This psalm also presents a strong affirmation of faith. David has a strong, solid, stable confidence in God. This doesn’t mean he doesn’t wrestle with his emotions etc., it means that he has come to a place of stability that no matter what happens—his trust is in God alone.
Much of this psalm is about waiting on the Lord.
One commentator says, “Waiting on the Lord does not mean being idle or indifferent because sometimes waiting is harder than working.” (Wiersbe)
Waiting on the Lord is meant to be meaningful and spiritually productive in your life. It is wholly leaning on your entire being on the personhood of God and His ability to meet your needs. It is confidence in knowing God will respond in love and compassion toward you.
There is a rest in the waiting—and that is where David is in this psalm. It is an inner peace that no outward circumstance can rob from you.
There are basically 3 types of waiting:
1. Wait silently: this means not telling your trials to everybody who will listen or even telling them repeatedly to the Lord. When a child rests in the arms of the mother or father, there is on need to make noise. Much talk is sometimes evidence of little faith. (Wiersbe)
a. David’s life was filled with heartache, trouble, and discouragement. Friends and family had turned against him. Even his life was in danger. He knew what it was to have enemies. But he also knew that the Lord was with him and had learned to wait only on God.
b. What do we do when burdens press upon us? To whom do we go? Sometimes we try to work out the answer ourselves or we go to another person. We go to God only when it seems all else fails. We need to do what David in the fire of his trials learned to do—wait only on the Lord.
c. We need to be still in His presence that we might worship Him for who He is and what He has done. In the hustle and bustle of living we often rush into the Lord’s presence and out again without pausing to wait on Him. We do not take our time to tune our souls to the Lord who loves us. Waiting also allows time for reflection and mediation.
d. Quieting ourselves before God is a learned discipline. Our lives are so busy we have to purposely set ourselves to wait on the Lord in silence before Him. We need to get rid of the noise in our lives for moments in time so that we might hear and receive from God.
2. Wait Expectantly
a. Your hope in not in human or material resources but in the power of God.
b. When your will comes into agreement with God’s the end result is power and blessing. The Lord promises blessing on those who trust, rely, and obey Him.
3. Wait continually:
a. At all times—it isn’t easy to “wait at all times”, especially when you feel that God is not following your time table! Psalm 31:15 says “my times are in Your hands” and if they really are, then waiting will be a part of your life.
b. In Ephesians 6:10-18 and John 10:10 the Word reminds us that each day we have an enemy of our souls out to destroy us. We all need to understand that Satan looks for your weak points and keeps hitting hard in hopes that you will fall.
c. 1 Peter 5:8-9 reminds us that the Holy Spirit tells us to stand strong in the power of God’s might and not our own! It tells us to resist the devil, humble ourselves before God, and stand firm! This can only come from learning to wait silently, expectantly, and continually!
d. With each victory you win—you gain more strength.
e. YOU CAN NEVER LET DOWN YOUR SPIRITUAL GUARD!!
THE “ONLY” WORD
Eight different times in this psalm the word “only” is used.
v.1 my soul find rest in God alone
v. 2 & 6, He alone is…
v. 5 Find rest O my soul in God alone
v. 7 my salvation and honor depend on God
Throughout the Scriptures you will find this theme of God alone:
Deut. 6:4-5—love the Lord with all your heart—your entire being
John 15: without Jesus you can do nothing
Hebrews 12—fix your eyes on Jesus alone
Colossians 3:1-2—set your mind on the things of God alone
Proverbs 3:5-6—trust God at all times and don’t lean on anything but God alone
Then the psalmist gives us an invitation after all of this: Pour out your hearts to Him! God is waiting for us to be vulnerable in His presence and to present our hearts and the aching of our souls to Him—no matter what is going on!
This psalm ends with three very powerful statements about the Lord:
1. God is strong—we know that power belongs to the Lord.
a. I Chronicles 29:11—power belongs to God
b. Revelation 19:1—salvation, glory and power belong to God
c. Psalm 24:8—the Lord, strong and mighty
d. Proverbs 18:10—God’s name is a strong tower
e. Jeremiah 50:34—their Redeemer is strong, the Lord of Hosts is HIs name.
2. God is loving
a. 1 John 4:17-21—God is love
b. Psalm 25:10—all of God’s ways are loving
c. Psalm 59:17—called “my loving God.”
3. God is a Rewarder
a. Hebrews 11:6—he rewards those who earnestly seek Him
b. Hebrews 10:35—don’t throw away your confidence because it has great reward
c. Proverbs 13:21—prosperity is the reward of the righteous
d. Proverbs 25:22—the Lord will reward you
e. Ephesians 6:8—God will reward the good anyone does
CONCLUSION:
1. Being still before God when under stress—a quietness that can only come with deep confidence in a strong, loving, reward giving God.
2. Quietness maintained—no matter the circumstance, there is a stability, a balance, and a calmness in you that cannot be rattled or shaken loose.
3. God alone—it’s your choice—and that choice will determine either your victory or your defeat!
For further Scripture reading:
Isaiah 30:18, 40:28-31
Psalm 27:14, Psalm 130:5
1 Peter 1:6-9
James 1:2-4
Hebrews 10:36
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