Trusting God For Rest!

Pour Your Heart Out

Psalm 62:1-8

September 24, 2023

We can all state with confidence, ‘life does not always go as we planned.’ Just when you think you’ve got something figured out, you realize you don’t. Just when you thought you could count on someone, they let you down.

Can you remember a time when you were counting on a loved one to show up and be there for you, but they didn’t?

Did you ever give your heart to some girl or guy, only to have that person drop your heart on the ground?

Maybe you entered into a business venture and the other parties proved untrustworthy? Or shared a secret with a friend, but they gave it away?

Have you ever believed in some authority figure, but rather than doing you good, they abused you?

Few things are more sacred than trust between people, and few things are more ravaging than to have that trust broken.

When you've had your trust broken many times, it becomes easy to start seeing God through the lens of these experiences as well.

Can God really be trusted? If He’s so sufficient and good, then why did those bad things happen to me?

I lost my love, my job, my money, my health, my confidence? My kids are messed up, and I don't know what to do. My marriage is in trouble, or my finances are bottoming out. I’m depressed and distressed! My body is letting me down.

God, I'm trying to do what’s right, but I'm scared. Will things turn out okay? Are you really trustworthy, God? God, are you even there?

Have you ever wondered this?

When we’re going through those storms in life, when we’re questioning, it can be hard to find our footing. It’s hard to believe the good words from others, it’s difficult to believe that somehow life will turn out better. We can’t seem to get over what’s happened. Sometimes we even begin to doubt God’s words.

We’ve been talking about being weary and heavy burdened, our need to find and experience rest in God’s arms. As we continue looking at stories and examples and maybe finding some clues to help us, I want to talk about Psalm 62. It’s a psalm written by David.

One of the reasons Psalms are so great is that they’re real. David, especially gives us thoughts that aren’t very different than ours. Before we get to the Psalm, I want to share a passage from Jeremiah 6. It’s really powerful because I believe it describes our present condition.

16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the (cross) roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

But the people said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

17 I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’

But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’

When we’re in the weary times of life it’s as if we’ve reached a crossroads and we must choose which way we’ll go. In this passage, God’s telling us we must choose the good way because that’s the only way to “find rest for our souls.”

Those are God’s words for us. Those aren’t my words, they come from God, who’s offering us rest. So, we stand at a crossroads, and we look both ways and we know the way to go, but we choose differently. Our GPS is shouting GO STRAIGHT! But we turn left/right. It makes no sense.

Why would we do that? Well, sometimes God’s way is going to take us more time to get to the promised land. Think of the Israelites during the Exodus. A month long trip took them 40 years. How many of us might have returned to Egypt or just settled for wherever.

We get to the crossroads and often times we take the easy road, the path of least resistance. Instead of trusting God and enduring the tough times, which will bring a great reward, we choose poorly.

God says, pay attention, I’ve got the official GPS guidance system, but we don’t pay attention.

So, we end up lost, frantic, wearied, confused . . . .

The people wouldn’t listen to God and instead, chose to go their own way rather than “the good way.” And because of this decision, they don’t find rest.

So, what’s “the good way” that Jeremiah wrote about? It’s Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6). He also said, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28)

Jesus is the good way -- the only way -- the way which provides rest for our souls. As we look at Psalm 62, we’ll see what practical wisdom we can glean from David - - - - so that we too, can find restoration.