Not Greatly Shaken

One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 62. Though I don't know the exact time it was written, I do know that it was written by David, probably after he became king.

The psalm starts with the words, " For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation." It goes on to say, "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken."

It has always been my opinion that the reason David said he was not greatly shaken was because he had been shaken. He was struggling with something difficult. The reason I am of that opinion is because of what David writes a few verses later, "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken."

So what takes David from not being greatly shaken to not being shaken? The answer is in the previous verses, where David explains where he is placing his trust; in God alone.

Faith has been described as confidence properly placed. God is a rock. He is faithful and and a safe place to hide. Faith (or confidence) in Him is properly placed. It can be difficult to choose faith at times, though.

Tonight, I was shaken. I made a mistake, which isn't that uncommon. But tonight, my mistake could have been deadly. As I contemplate it now, I was greatly shaken. My choice (and one that I'm honestly struggling with) is whether I'm going to turn to God, who is my rock, or keep my focus on my failures, wallowing in the slime of self-pity.

The "Faith Process" is a powerful tool that I learned from an amazing couple. The first step is to review the definition of faith, "Faith is choosing to live as though God's Word is true, regardless of circumstances, emotions, or cultural trends."  The second step is to ask myself the question, "If I'm going to live as though God's Word is true, how will I live in this situation?" And finally, ask the Holy Spirit for the strength to live out what is true.

This post is actually a result of putting the Faith Process to work. First, am I going to live as though it is true that God is my rock and my salvation, or not? Second, if I'm going to live as though God is my rock, how am I going to respond to this mistake I've made?

God has given me another verse; Zephaniah 3:17. "He (God) will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will exult over you with loud singing."

I don't feel like something to be rejoiced over you, or exulted (another translation says "delight"). I feel like an irresponsible horrible person who should be exiled for the safety of society. It is a WAY over-the-top response to something that truly isn't that terrible (when someone else does it), but feels terrible to me. Yet, God delights over me?! He rejoices over me with singing. Wow. If I'm going to live as though that is true, I'll certainly not wallow in the pit of despair. If God really is my fortress and my rock, I don't have to be shaken! And God IS my fortress. God is my salvation. And He delights over me (though I don't understand why), with singing!!

So, like the psalmist, I say because God is my rock and my salvation, I shall not be shaken. Instead, I'm going to cry out to my precious Savior for comfort, receive His love, forgiveness, and grace, and go to sleep. My stomach ache is gone, my sense of panic and fear is gone. Finally, more than five hours after the event, I'm feeling sleepy and ready to rest. God is good and I am forgiven. Thank you, Jesus!