Go To The Rock
Psalm 61:1-8 KJV
1 Hear my cry, O God;
Attend unto my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,
When my heart is overwhelmed:
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever:
I will trust in the covert of thy wings.
Selah.
5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows:
Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.
6 Thou wilt prolong the king’s life:
And his years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God for ever:
O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.
8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever,
That I may daily perform my vows.
Go To The Rock
“Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer” (v.1).
David starts out by crying to the Lord a lot. And when he cries out to the Lord, he’s not calling out thinking he’s not going to get an answer. “Hear My Cry. Attend to my call.” It’s almost like he said, “Hey, listen to me. Here I am.” I love the relationship that David has with his God because it is so natural and real sounding in these Psalms. It’s really communicative, someone who truly knows the God he’s talking to. So, it started with “hear my cry. Attend to my prayer”, so I’m wondering. What is he asking the Lord to help him with today?
Have you ever felt overwhelmed? Have you ever felt like you are being attacked from every side, that there’s truth in what they say, bad luck comes in threes? Sometimes they’ll seem to come and not stop. It just seems like you get out of one situation, and now you are in another. And David is very good at describing very literally how he feels. “My heart is overwhelmed”. And these emotions flow over to when he said, Lord, you are going to have to lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. Here, David meant, “I know there is somebody greater. The Rock that is higher than any of this other stuff that is trying to beat me down and overwhelm me. I’m at this level. But that rock is higher than all of those problems.” This is what I like about David. Anytime he’s in trouble, anytime he starts crying out to God, he brings up the past experiences that have led him to a point where he has this kind of faith. He’s saying, “Look, this is what you done for me before. You saved me. You caught me and delivered me. I know who you are. Keep going!”
“I will abide in thy Tabernacle forever, and I’ll rest in the covert of thy wings” (v.4). It’s just like a bird covering another baby bird against the storm, sheltering, protecting. This is what God has done for him. And so when he is overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do, he knows that he has a God that will hear him and take him to a place. A solid, security rock. A safe place and rest away from his enemies. This is what he’s calling out to God, and he’s saying, you did that before. You going to do it again?
“You have heard my vows, you’ve given me my heritage of those who fear your name.” (v.5) I come from a lineage of people who know you and share in part of your inheritance. Again, just the faith that David expresses, this is very unique. And this is beautiful. When he’s saying, “So, would I sing praise unto thy name forever. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life and his years as many generations” (v.6,8). He knows that God is going to reward him with a long life. David had a lot of people trying to kill him all the time. And yet he is able to have the faith to say here, I’m not going to die. God is going to preserve me to live a good long life. “You preserve the king with Mercy and Truth” (v.7).
It is very interesting in the psalm, that, as usual with David often starts out crying and hurt and sad. But he always ends with a different tone of voice; with a voice of praise. A voice of positivity. A voice of faith. For he knows what God is going to do. And he always says he’s going to continue singing praises to his God, and that’s what he does. David sings praises to his God in all his songs. Psalms represent over 100 songs to the Lord about His majesty, grace, and love. And we learn from him how to handle adversities when we think we are overwhelmed.
When I think about what David just shared with us, I consider: what does he want us to learn from this psalm? To me, it says that when you are down and out. When you just don’t know where to turn. When you are feeling overwhelmed by life and stress, grief, whatever you are going through: Be still and know that God is God. Reflect and think about what He has brought you through in the past. My soul sits back in wonder how I got over those challenges. You got to think and remember What God has done when you going through things, so you understand He did it before, He will do it again. You can always trust in our faithful God. He has come through for me time and time and time again. So many times when I was overwhelmed.
We may think in our own strength that we are going to try to solve this problem ourselves. You know that we’re going to make plans, and we call Him saying “listen. We’re going to take care of it.” But David from the start said, “hey. This is more than I can handle.” You know, God said, when my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways. And so we call on God. We call on Jesus’ name, who says we have already overcome because He is already overcoming. We speak the words of the truth from His Word. And we stand in the end on his promises. Hallelujah! I ask you God as I pray and continue each day to help me to remember that, no matter what comes, not to be overwhelmed. I can turn to you. And you will be right there for me. Providing strength, safety, security, peace, and victory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Disclaimer: The intention of this project is not to teach, but rather to share. Please use due diligence in studying the word of God, and seek guidance from your local religious leaders for any questions or concerns.
Debra Hill
Debra Hill is an independent inspirational singer, author, songwriter, and writer. As a blind performer, she adds a personal story of God’s faithfulness. Her life exemplifies that Christ’s power will work to lift all regardless of circumstances.
Special Thanks to Elizabeth Baber and Dr. Shakira for all that you do to make it happen.
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