ICEA – “Church at Study”

My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
– Psalm 62:1-2

David was the writer of Psalm 62 above. He was also a great warrior who had strength and ability to lead the nation of Israel. Israel’s army rallied behind him and, together, they won many victories against their enemies. By all accounts the nation trusted him as a victorious and strong leader. Where did David’s strength come from? Reading from (no doubt) David’s writings, it’s safe to say that he SOUGHT God for his continual strength:

Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
– Psalm 105:4

He wrote from pages in history to tell us what had been his success in leading God’s great nation. It had little to do with his ability to amass chariots or to strategize on a human level, but his directive came from his abiity to SEEK GOD and get His STRENGTH.

From Psalm 62:2, he writes:

“I won’t be greatly moved.”

Using David’s example, we’re talking about getting to a place where we come to trust God’s strength and allow His strength to be infused and channeled through what strength we possess.

As a result of David being victoriously engaged with his opposers (Psalm 62:1-2), it makes sense why he wrote verse 3:

How long will ye imagine mischief against a man?
ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall
shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

As great and confident as David was, he knew his limitations and taught Israel the reason for his successes (vs. 8):

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your
heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

The strength that David possessed came from his two-pronged approach to everything that he did. He had the ability to “trust” and “pour out his heart” to God. David also used the word “refuge” in the verse above. Similar biblical words used in scriptures are: high tower, fortress, defense, and stronghold. These words are used as places of security from an enemy. David had built such a relationship with God that he knew SEEKING HIM was next to being strong and “fortress-like.” Only through continually seeking God can we acquire strength and see our foe’s defense as being like bowing walls or weak fences. Throughout this Psalm he speaks similar words (vs. 5-7) because he’s sure God will meet his expectations with STRENGTH and he is even more resolved in his stance not to be overthrown.

As a teacher to Israel, he taught that human strength and resources are frail and don’t last (vs. 9-10):

Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men
of high degree  are a lie: to be laid in the balance,
they are altogether lighter than vanity.
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery:
if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

David, the strong but limited warrior, had heard from God (vs. 11) and early in his life he had come to understand that God was the source of his strength:

God hath spoken once; twice have I heard
this; that power belongeth unto God.

Many of us are not warriors in the sense that David was. We are average people with families and lives to lead. Yet, we have been called to engage in everyday battles with real problems that can amount to devastating consequences if we are not strengthened by the things of Christ. It would be our wisdom if we would take frequent times to SEEK THE LORD and HIS STRENGTH, and to SEEK HIS FACE evermore!