The Rock in Times of Trouble: Psalm 61

 

King David’s Perspective on God’s Greatness: Psalm 61

I picked Psalm 61 because I appreciate David’s perspective on trouble. He magnifies the Lord to the point where his personal issues fade. It’s a wonderful practice for Christians today. “When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (verse 2)

It’s a verse about perspective, but not in an intellectual way. This is all heart and passion and desperation. It’s the kind of thing you write when structures are crashing all around and you don’t know where to go. David’s Psalm provides us with the best window into his mind and emotions. He always reminds himself of God’s bigness in all situations.

God is a High Tower, a Shelter and a Foundation for all those who fear His name. When we examine all the ways God is bigger, we rest in the knowledge of His plan.

It’s true for kings, it’s true for us.

The Rock as a high place

The first attribute of God in Psalm 61 is His highness. Being high above allows us to see the whole picture clearer. As a kid we used to visit a small touristy town called Dubuque, Iowa for the scenery. Usually around the fall, the leaves change enriching its beauty and bringing tourists from all over the state. They have a trolley that climbs a track up a steep hill where you can see 3 states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa) and the Mississippi River. It’s a stunning view. Everything else looks small and insignificant by comparison. Illinois and Iowa are mostly flat, farming states. It’s not often that we get to see such a distance.

Nothing changes in our circumstance when we get high up and take a look around. But our perspective shifts, enough to take on a new appreciation and a grander scale. When we allow God to be our high tower, He gives us opportunity to let Him take control. That act is one of faith, it’s made clearer by our perspective shift. In I Samuel 24, David gets a chance to kill Saul but decides to send a message instead. Saul is tormented by jealousy over David’s popularity. He took his men into En Gedi to find and kill David. Along the way he stops to use the toilet in a cave not knowing that David and his men are hiding there.

Instead of killing Saul, David cuts off a piece of Saul’s clothing and shouts at him. The message from that day was clear, “I could’ve killed you easily.” Saul repented to David after that. He realized his family was safe from retribution, a big part of the reason for the chase. David’s high tower moment came from within; God convicted him about even cutting off the piece of clothing. He said “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 24:6)

Such was David’s reverence of God’s plan, that He wouldn’t harm the anointed servant. He writes “You’ve given me the heritage of those who fear Your name. You will prolong the king’s life, his years as many generations” (verses 5-6)

The Rock as Shelter

David’s second attribute of the rock is as a shelter. We’re all familiar with the value of a shelter. Whether in hiding from enemies or as a covering from rain, large rock formations cover us from the elements. I remember going to a popular picnic spot as a kid in a local park. We always went there in case the rain, a likely scenario in May, disrupted our plans for barbeque and hiking. The park had a nice open air shelter with picnic tables and grills just under the covering. On a few occasions we had to grab our food and tableware and high tail it for the shelter as a popup shower moved in.

Noah and his family understood the value of a shelter as the rain came and filled the earth. They were saved due to their obedience and trust in the rock. Coincidentally they landed on a rock after 40 days. A mountain chain in modern day Turkey is the likeliest place for it. The ark became a shelter from the deluge; because of Noah’s obedience, God provided a way through the trouble. On the other side of that obedience was new life, and a future he couldn’t have imagined before the flood.  

Obedience requires trust. David points to this in verse 4 “I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.” Noah’s trust that the rains would come and overwhelm the earth, seemed truly crazy. But only a lifelong closeness with the Heavenly Father will dispel doubt. The ark became a shelter for Noah and his family, not to mention the animals, but the presence of the Lord is our permanent shelter from trouble.

The Rock as a Foundation

David’s third attribute of God is as the immovable rock or foundational rock. What’s so important about an immovable rock? We can count on it to be there. 

In the storms of life we need something to grab onto that won’t be washed ashore. My favorite example of the immovable rock is from Daniel chapter 2 and his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The king had an intense, meaningful dream that he didn’t understand. He called his soothsayers for help. When they couldn’t help he tried to kill them. Daniel stepped in and gave the interpretation. He saw a statue made of gold, silver, bronze and clay. It represented all the kingdoms of the earth. But a rock crushed it to pieces and grew into a mountain that filled the whole earth. 

The rock represents the Creator’s dominance over the whole earth. Kings and kingdoms rise and fall, but the God who put everything in place will reign forever. Notice too how important it was that the rock was not made from human hands. The other kingdoms were all built on human ability and intellect. The rock was here from the beginning. It’s immovable, permanent and unyielding.

Conclusion

It's particularly important to realize how much bigger God is than the current political climate. I think we are in a rock sort of period right now. In the next decade, God is going to upturn a lot of old families, castes, societies and governments. 

He is going to remind us again, that He is the Lord of all and His foundation lasts for eternity. I like how Elihu defines the justice of God “When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And whether it is against a nation or a man alone? Than the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared. (Job 34:29-30)

Psalm 61 is for us today. The chaos may come, but God is our Rock.