Calm, cool, and collected

I'm not sure who it was that put those three words together, but it's become a familiar phrase, no?

"Calm, cool, and collected."

Previous generations might have used the word "serene." 

Or "composed."

That's a word that came to mind when reading these focus verses for this post:

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

my hope comes from him.

6Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

7My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

8Trust in him at all times, you people;

pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:5-8, NIV)

When God is our only source of salvation, we can rest, composed, in Him. These are very much like the first couple of verses of this psalm . . . why is David repeating it?  In verses three and four, he was thinking about the extreme threats that he faced from his enemies. Perhaps this is his way of "grounding" himself and also reminding his listeners -- God is our refuge. We may never reach the point where we are invulnerable to being "shaken" or worried. That place of perfect composure, where severe trials don't affect us at all, is a place we might not reach. While we may not be greatly shaken, as in verse six, we may still have to work to regain our peace in God.

How?

This may sound a little strange, but David found it helpful to talk to himself.

It might help us, too!

The first real action that David takes in this song is to talk to himself. His soul. I've heard people say that talking to yourself is a sign of old age, but I think you only have a problem if you answer....if you really carry on a conversation! 

Actually, the Bible tells us to do this very thing! If we go back to Psalms 42 and 43, we see these words repeated (three different places):

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God. (Psalm 43:5)

In many different eras, God has inspired men and women to write and speak in ways that have stayed with us, whether in books or in recorded media. Martyn Lloyd Jones was born in Wales and his influence for God spread globally due to his preaching and his writings. One of his books explored and offered helps for depression (Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure). In the very first chapter, he draws on Psalm 42 and he instructs us, his readers, to be careful - we need to realize that much of our unhappiness is because we are listening to ourselves, instead of talking to ourselves. 

Yes, it's true!

We have all kinds of thoughts come to us in the morning when we wake. The problems and crises of the day before rush into our minds. All of the obstacles and the feelings of helplessness or fear. Instead of just going along with those thoughts, we need to give ourselves a figurative shake, then talk to our now-alert self: just like the psalmist, we need to ask ourselves WHY are we cast down . . .  and then remind ourselves of God. Of Who He is, and what He has done, and what He has promised to do.

We can repeat those truths as often as we waver because we are under attack. That's what David did!  He listed description after description of Who God is. And we can see he is gaining confidence as he does: he moves from "I shall not be shaken" to "I shall not be moved"!!

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved. (vs.5-6, NKJV)

David is fighting to keep these truths "front and center" in his mind. You know, I think that even though he was a man after God's own heart (I Samuel 13:14), David shared a problem with us: I think he was trying to avoid sliding into the same habit that many of us have. We will pray and acknowledge that God is our only help, and we will supposedly lay our cares upon Him, but as soon as we get up from our knees, we get busy trying to solve the problems ourselves!

Now, it's not wrong to think about how to get out of a difficult trial. More often than not, God will guide our thoughts as we depend upon Him.  It's really wrong, though, to give God a nod of trust and then set Him aside while we actually trust in our schemes and plans. Instead, just like David, we must depend on God alone. We must tell ourselves (multiple times, if necessary!) that God is our only source of deliverance.

6 

He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved. (Psalm 62:6)

If we trust in plans of our own making, we will fail. But if God only is our rock, we will stand firm.