For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. Psalms 62:5 ESV
A little boy paced back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the store. Then he would sit on the bench looking to his right and his left. Finally, he was asked “what are you waiting for?”. He replied, “I don’t really know, but I hope it comes soon, I am getting tired of giving my best “waiting” impersonation.”
Are there steps or actions that you can take to position yourself to receive from the Lord? What is your favorite activity to reconnect you to His presence? Are resting and waiting on the Lord so subjective that they are beyond teaching or can a person follow another’s example to acquire their benefits?
The Hebrew word order for this verse is – Only- for God -wait silently -my soul – for – from Him- my hope.
Only -”ach”. We can eat a lot of different foods, but not all of them give the needed nutrients to our bodies. There are activities that are helpful to our bodies physically, but to receive the best benefits from God, we need to draw strength directly from Him. If you were to record the types and quantity of food that you ate today, you would quickly be able to discern what was the best for your body. What activities in your life reveal your singularity of attention to God – only?
Wait in silence – “damam”. Some versions translate this word in this passage as “to rest”. One definition given is “to grow dumb, silent, still”. Exodus 15:16 refers to a people who become “still, like a stone”. We are a busy people. We may know how to step into the prayer closet, but we forget to shut the door to all of the outside commotion. Here are 3 steps that might help you to become still.
- Breathing. Be intentional in slowing your breathing into longer and slower breaths. Focusing on your breathing is the start of taking control of your thoughts. Anxiousness and busyness heighten the speed of blood flow.
- Soft background worship or instrumental music. The goal is to start lassoing all of your thoughts to move in one direction. A worship song points the busy heart heavenward.
- Reading the Bible aloud. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” God’s word has power and authority to transfer the ingredients necessary for faith to grow in our lives. Nothing else in creation has the power like the Word of God to give life to our spirit.
My soul – “nephesh”. The Hebrew understanding for this word incorporates the whole person and not just your thought life. David would often speak to himself the direction that he wanted his life to follow. Psalm 103 – “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”
Remember the context of this passage. King David is fleeing for his life from his son Absalom. He was filled with emotions of regret, second guessing, anger, sadness, and fear. It was in this moment that he reminded himself. “Grow dumb and be silent, focus on God, for only from Him will I have the hope that will be needed to lead the people that are fleeing with me. Only God can address the pain that I am feeling. God you are my hope.”
King David is a pretty good teacher on how to find the needed rest in God alone.
Blessings Love y’all