Scripture: Psalm 62:1-8
Journal: Best you can tell right now, are you seeking God and or God alone? Why?
Reflection:
The Hebrew version of Psalm 62 starts with the
word only: “Only for God does my
soul wait in silence.” It then repeats
that word numerous times over the next eight verses. Needless to say, it is the major theme of the
psalm. God is the only one who is
worthy of our trust, and we are only trusting in him when we trust in
him alone. A. W. Tozer says it
this way: “When religion has said its last word, there is little that we need
other than God himself. The evil habit
of God-and effectively prevents us from finding God in full revelation. In the “and” lies our great woe. If we omit the “and” we shall soon find God,
and in him we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly
longing.”
Unfortunately, it is a very
short trip from God alone to God and. It is a very subtle shift in thinking and in being
that is very hard to recognize. We start
out trusting in God alone, and then, before we know it, we begin to
trust in God and our own comfort, God and our own opinion, God and
our own agenda, God and our own desired outcome. Somewhere along the line our desires have shifted
from God alone to God and, and we didn’t even recognize it.
So how are we to know when
we are trusting in God and rather than God alone? The psalm, once again, gives us a clue. Whenever we trust in God alone, we are
not shaken (v. 2, 6), whatever that may look like. It is our reaction to circumstances and
situations that will let us know where I real trust lies. If I am too attached to a certain outcome or
opinion, if I am consumed with a certain situation, if I am frustrated or
defensive or argumentative—all of those are signs that I might be trusting in
God and rather than God alone.
Which means that I must recognize it, confess it, and repent (turn
around). I need to turn from God and,
and return to God alone. For
trusting in God alone takes a good healthy detachment from my own
desires, preferences, and opinions. It
requires us to be indifferent to anything but the will of God. God become the end, not merely a means to an
end.
O Lord, help us to recognize
all of the ways and all of the places where we are trusting in you and something
(or someone) else. Help us to let go of
those things—whoever or whatever they may be—and return to you alone. For you alone are my rock, my refuge,
and my fortress. My salvation and my honor
depend on you—alone.
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: 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. (Psalm 62:5-8, ESV)
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