Psalm 62:5-12 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 62:5-12 on biblegateway.com
Verse 5For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
Verse 6He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
Verse 7On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
Verse 8Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Verse 9Those 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.
Verse 10Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
Verse 11Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
Verse 12and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.
Devotion
I'm writing these devotions just a few weeks after the catastrophic fires in Sonoma and Napa counties in which our community of Petaluma was largely spared from the fire but now is surrounded by overwhelming devastation. Many around us have lost jobs, schools, homes, transportation and even lives. Now they're working through the labyrinth of loss, grief, despair, displacement, insurance, assistance, planning, permitting, rebuilding, etc. So there is tension in the reading of this psalm that holds out the unique and powerful trustworthiness of God. If God is to be trusted, why am I standing here in the midst of these ashes? "Why have you forsaken me?" seems to be an acceptable question.
And yet, even in this moment of devastation the psalmist speaks: "For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is FROM God…I shall not be shaken…Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." Where else to turn? Who else to trust? What other source of hope? What other strength? In spite of standing in the midst of the ashes, in spite of feeling forsaken, we pour out our hearts with all their pain and questions and doubts to a God who promises to hold us and restore us.
Prayer
Thank you inscrutable God for letting us doubt and question and live in the tension of unfulfilled promises even as we reach out to lean on you and trust in the presence of your love and strength. Amen