What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do (Psalm 62:5-7 [8])
- Gio Lynch
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. ⁶He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. ⁷On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. [⁸Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.] —Psalm 62:5-7 [8]
Though we don’t know what occasioned Psalm 62, we can see from verses 3 and 4 that David was under attack and feeling battered. His enemies were plotting to bring him down and he seemed to be at the end of his strength–like “a leaning wall and tottering fence.” Yet David found safety and security beyond the reach of his adversaries.
David appeared to be outnumbered, surrounded, and friendless. His enemies seemed to be winning, about to strike the death blow. How could such enemies exist in a kingdom ruled by the man after God’s own heart? We couldn’t fault David for feeling alone, unloved, and unprotected. It would not seem strange for anyone at such a point to feel abandoned by God.
It’s tempting to think of valiant David responding immediately to this trial with the words of this psalm but perhaps that would be forgetting his humanity. He was bruised and beaten, “tottering” like a prize fighter ready to fall, grasping the ropes of the ring to steady himself and catch his breath. We can imagine David working hard to drown out the beleaguered inner voice telling him he’s lost and been undone by superior forces.
The scene is familiar. Hope dwindling, strength failing, light darkening, and then, at the last moment, a hand reaches down to help. With almost no strength left, David grabs desperately to the Hand reaching down to him. God pulls him up toward the solid ground where David now stands, unshaken in the midst of turmoil, knowing that God alone is his “rock, salvation, fortress, glory, mighty rock and refuge.”
As David struggles to trust, he waits, in silence, for God. These three notes sing harmoniously together, ascending in scale and height.
Wait
We don’t often like waiting. Our impatience rises as we wait for our Uber, for a line to move, for test results. Waiting can be excruciating when the situation seems urgent, fearful, or unjust. We desperately seek a good resolution: vindication, apology, healing, reward. It’s understandable to feel shaken, in need of solace and hope, when things around us seem chaotic or don’t make sense.
Though it’s difficult, waiting has its benefits. It gives time for the situation to become clearer, for the truth to come out, for rational thinking and calm. Better still, it allows time to meditate on God’s character—His goodness and trustworthiness, strength and power, faithfulness and wisdom–and to remember His great and precious promises. It is to our benefit to receive God's gift of waiting to allow patience to have its perfect work (James 1:2-4 NKJV).
In silence
When we experience reverential wonder and awe of God, silence is the right response. Similarly, when we witness God’s holy and righteous judgment–we should take no issue with it or attempt to intervene or charge God with wrongdoing. Silence is fitting when we consider the limits of our flesh. Wisdom and humility dictate that we hold our peace, knowing when not to speak: when we are beyond our understanding and we realize that we are out of our depth.
Perhaps the most difficult is silence in the face of injustice. The natural response is to defend ourselves or rally assistance to our cause, but David didn’t. David found silent rest, waiting for God to act on his behalf, just as Moses directed the Israelites when trapped by the thunderous advance of Pharaoh’s chariots and horses toward the Red Sea (Exodus 14:14).
Peter reminds us that when Jesus was falsely accused He kept silent, entrusting Himself to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). He calls us to do likewise. This is the way to endure silently, waiting in hope and trust.
For God
Simple rest, or trust, is not enough; it doesn’t protect us nor does it guarantee the just and satisfactory outcome we desire. Only God can do that. In the same way that faith is only as good as its object, so it is with this kind of trust–it rests in God alone. Only God sees and hears everything, is not indifferent to our suffering, and has the wisdom and power to act perfectly. God alone can be for us–as He was for David–a “rock, salvation, fortress, glory, refuge.” There is nothing else that can support such confidence.
We can wait, in silence, for God, trusting Him with the outcome, knowing that the Judge of all the earth will do right. We no longer need to concern ourselves with gaining justice, vindication, or man's salvation. We can know that in God's hands everything will be made right and we will be cared for, both now and eternally. That's the best and only rest there is, the quiet rest of a child in its mother’s arms (Psalm 131:2).
For Reflection
What are you waiting on God for, and what are you learning as you wait?
Carve out moments this week to sit silently before God to contemplate His character and His ways.
Consider God's works in your life. What has He done that no one else could have?
Gio Lynch is a Brooklyn, NY native who serves Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. as Children's Ministry Administrator. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, camping and 18th century English country dancing.