Psalm 62

It's amazing to me how scripture can speak right to the heart. Time and again the Lord shows me His Word, opens to me His heart and His will through scripture; and time and again I am amazed at how a few verses can set my mind and heart at ease in an instant.

This afternoon my prayers were all over the place, both head and heart were racing with doubts, fears, and questions. What am I doing here? Am I loving enough? Am I doing too much?Not enough? And the more I tried to calm the unrest I was feeling, the more the thoughts would plague me. What if these thoughts aren't going away because I'm supposed to be feeling uneasy because I'm really doing something wrong?

It's my habit to pray evening prayer as I sit in the car waiting for the kids to get out of school. I have plenty of time then and there are no distractions. Now I know technically 2:30 isn't quite evening, but it's the last quiet time I get before 10pm so I think the Lord will forgive me for fudging with the times.

So anyways, sure enough, the first lines of the first psalm were just what I needed to heart to remind me that the Lord alone brings peace to my soul:

In God alone is my soul at rest;
my help comes from Him.
He alone is my rock, my stronghold,

my fortress: I stand firm

I said that first stanza of the psalm hesitantly, knowing in my head that the words had power but still caught in the churning emotions. But God, in His infinite wisdom and goodness, saw fit to repeat those words. I was once told by a very wise priest that in the midst of trial and temptation you should speak Scripture out loud because the Truth of the Word of God will combat the lies Satan is telling you. And by the time I reached the end of Psalm 62, the million questions that had been running through my head had ceased, and I could rejoice in the Lord's presence, which was what the next psalm and the canticle were about. I love the way God works!

I'd like to close this post with one of the psalm prayers that put into words the prayer of my heart.

Lord God, you reward each one according to his works. Hear us as we pour out our hearts to you, seeking your grace and secure protection. We look to you for our stable hope in a constantly changing world.

Amen.