“Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” – Psalm 62:8
Wait upon the Lord. Trust in Him. Talk to Him. Confide in Him. Pour out your heart before Him. These are all pieces of helpful and needed counsel from David to God’s people. All of them are important and necessary in a healthy, covenant relationship with God. So, it’s good and right that David would give us such counsel.
Notice that this counsel isn’t that which David preached to others, but not himself. In verses 5 – 7 of Psalm 62, we find David took the same medicine. He said, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”
To whom or what do we turn when life is hard and out of control or uncertain? Do we run to God, or have we crafted things that give us false refuge? See how David points himself and us to God being our refuge. We are safe and secure under the shadow of His wings. (Psalm 91:4)
God being our perfect and complete refuge is a foundation from which trust and confidence flourish. Let this sink in! In being our refuge, God is a very present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46)
He is the One in whom we can completely trust and depend. We depend on His wisdom, His grace, His goodness, His power and promises to us in Christ, His good providence. Though it’s easy to give into temptation to doubt how complete of a refuge God truly is for us, especially when we are in the bad times and don’t see His protection or don’t feel safe, following David’s counsel is particularly apt in those times. “Trust in Him at all times, you people.”
Our prayer must be that the Spirit would give us complete confidence in God in all situations, We must trust Him in every emergency. We must depend on His guidance when we are in doubt. We must trust Him to provide for our needs and strengthen us for the good works that we have been created in Christ Jesus to walk in. (Ephesians 2:10)
Considering prayer, David also instructs us to pour out our hearts to God, as he did. As we are walking in a relationship of trust with the living God, we aren’t to be tight-lipped with Him, having reserved or closed hearts to Him, only coming before His throne on occasion, all the while bearing great and growing burdens. Sometimes, if we’re honest, our prayers to the Lord are short and shallow, while we are pouring out our hearts to other people quite freely and frequently. It’s true that friends, family, other brothers and sisters in Christ can be of great support. Praise God for them! Yet, if God is your refuge – if you truly trust Him – make time and priority to bring your desires to Him with humble freedom. Come often and lay your petitions, your hardships, your pain, your grief at His feet. (Matthew 11:28) Then entirely give of yourself to His disposal, submitting to His will. This is what pouring out our hearts to Him looks like.
I encourage you this week, follow David’s example, consider his counsel, and prayerfully ponder how it can be put or better kept in practice in your life. Where and how do you struggle? How do these words regarding trust and communication with your God help?
Trust and pour out, Beloved, to the great God who is our refuge and strength!