March 31 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

There are several precious nuggets within Psalm 62 that take us to the heart of this psalm: trusting in God alone. This psalm lifts us up above the bitterness and hardships of what we experience to express complete dependence on God.

Psalm 62 has been referred to as the “only” psalm because there is something peculiar about it. In the Hebrew language the psalm starts off with a tiny little word that plays an essential role throughout the whole psalm. It can best be translated by the word “only.” This word “only” occurs in verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9. Translated literally, these verses read: “Only toward God is my soul still. He only is my rock and my salvation…They only intend to topple him from his lofty place. Only toward God be still, O my soul. He only is my rock and my salvation…lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie, if weighed on a balance they are nothing; together they are only a breath.” Do you now see why Psalm 62 has been called the “only” psalm? Only by yielding our fears, anxieties and insecurities to God will we have quietness of soul.

“Only toward God is my soul still.” David very intentionally highlights a divine name that speaks of God’s sovereignty. The king of Israel is given quietude of heart and life, being subject to the rule of the King of kings; he is governed by Him who is sovereign in His doings and entirely trustworthy in power and glory. Only toward God who is almighty, knows the end of all things, fulfils His plan and makes no mistakes, is my soul still. God is too strong to fail! That’s why verse 11 says, “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong.” What an absolute statement of genuine comfort! Only when my life is directed toward God does my soul find rest, repose and quietude because He is almighty.

Doesn’t this touch you deeply? “Only toward the Sovereign God is my soul still.” As a child of God I need to have that opening line written all over my life! Only when my soul (my life) is focused on God can I handle the trials of life, the times when I cry out in anguish. When the road I am travelling takes a sharp turn and I am left wondering “Why?”... “Only toward God is my soul still.”