Charles Stanley once said, “Our willingness to wait reveals the value we place on what we are waiting for.” Charles Spurgeon continues with, “The waiting itself is beneficial to us: it tries faith, exercises patience, trains submissions, and endears the blessing when it comes.” Waiting is a good teacher. Let’s consider 3 choices we ought to make when waiting on God.
David’s enemies were pushing against him (62:3) and plotting against him (62:4). David’s enemies viewed him as one who with one more good push would fall over and be defeated. Their main weapons were DECEIT and hypocrisy, and they seemed to be working quite well! Waiting for deliverance often feels like it is taking too long!
Consider the many real-life examples in the Bible of waiting on the Lord:
Abraham when waiting for the promised son
Joseph when sold to slavery
Bathsheba’s family when David took her and killed her husband…although Ahithophel refused to rest in God and struggled with bitterness
Jonah refusing to wait & goes swimming
Elijah refusing to wait & runs from Queen Jezebel
Daniel’s friends when refusing to kneel to an idol
Paul when going to city after city being persecuted, yet many got saved
The disciples struggling to wait when in a storm at sea
Does it seem that God’s way just isn’t enough at times? Wait on the LORD! Are you seeing little fruit for your soul-winning efforts? Wait on the LORD! Are you striving to do right yet see no relief from the peer pressure or constant persecution? Wait on the LORD!
David repeats almost word for word what he stated at the beginning of the Psalm. It is as though, through this constant repetition of what he knew in his heart, that he saw such calmness in his soul.
Be Still (v. 5)
Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God ….”
You and I have a built-in mechanism that makes us feel better when we do something about our problems, and we tend to push forward WITHOUT prayer, without searching the scriptures, & without seeking God.
We cannot hear His voice until we calm the noise of our soul.
Here the Psalmist is declaring one thing – “Be Still”. Notice also that David chooses the wording “only upon God”. David is resting solely in God — this is a single-minded focus! Not his money, or his power, or his charisma – he waited solely on his God! In what or in whom are you resting?
“Be Still” . . . that can be a very hard thing to do. I can remember going to a Pastor’s meeting a few years back where we sat through a business session and several preaching sessions on bare, straight, hard wood benches. I believe they were the hardest benches I have ever sat on in my life! Do you know that those benches seemed to get harder with each preaching session we sat through? It became very difficult to be still!
And so it is with you and me in our walk with the Lord. There will be times that things seem hard, and as time passes things get even harder to bear. The Lord taught David a very important lesson – “Be Still!”
Be Sure (v. 6)
David was sure of his refuge and safety! He is using strong words like “rock”, “salvation”, “defense” when describing the kind of trust he had placed in his God! Do you realize that for Absalom to have defeated David he would have had to cancel David’s salvation, crush his rock, and conquer his defense? Oh, what security he had in the God of heaven!
Psalm 125:1 says, “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever.”
Matt. 17:20, “And Jesus said unto them, ‘Because of your unbelief, for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of a mustard seed ye shall say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
Mark 9:23 says, “. . .If thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believeth.”
We can be sure that when the winds of temptation and trials hit the coast of our lives that we will be able to stand firm upon the solid rock and not be let down. We can be sure that God almighty will be our source of strength, our source of protection, and our source of victory!
Be Strong (v.7)
We have seen devastating storms sweep across the World! Whether it be the high winds of a hurricane or tornado literally lifting houses off their foundations and placing them in new locations. . . or the crushing effects of an earthquake destroying major roadways and high-rise buildings . . . everyone who finds themselves amid such storms seek refuge from the eminent danger they face. Some never reach that place of refuge before being hurt, and some never reach it all.
In verse 7, David states that out of all the places or powerful persons he could have chosen for refuge he says, “…and my refuge, is in God!” David was not strong because of his physique, because of his influential power as king, or because of other people connections. The Lord enabled David’s strength — David was strong in the Lord! Are you in the middle of a storm and in need of refuge? You can find refuge in God! You can literally expect it! Verse 5 clearly states that David’s expectation is from God.
Do you realize that you ought to expect Divine defense, Divine refuge, and Divine justice! However, we must choose to be still, to be sure, and to be strong!
We often claim the Lord because of what He has done for us, is doing for us, and will do for us. Our claim too often revolves around ourselves! Believer, turn to God because He is worthy! Turn to God because He is God!! Choose God as your refuge because He is God and there is none like Him and He is worthy of your praise.
For nearly 300 hundred years the church has been singing a hymn written by Katherina Schlegel. She actually took it right out of Psalm 46. Psalm 46 is another of those psalms written in an hour of crisis when the foundations of the nation seemed to be caving in and Hezekiah had to face the armed might of Assyria. With this Psalm’s setting, the hymnwriter wrote:
“Be still my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past,
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.”
Be Still, Be Sure, Be Strong. . . Oh the peace that comes from waiting on the Lord and resting in Him!