Psalm 61

⁴ Let me dwell in your tent forever!
    Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
⁵ For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

⁶ Prolong the life of the king;
    may his years endure to all generations!
⁷ May he be enthroned forever before God;
    appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

⁸ So will I ever sing praises to your name,
    as I perform my vows day after day.

Amen.

So we see here in this psalm that David is crying out to the Lord. There are different types of psalms that we see in the whole collection of psalms and one of the types that we see happen over and over again is the song of lament. It's a crying out to the Lord, asking and pleaing for his help in times of trouble and that's exactly what we see in Psalm 61. David is crying out the Lord saying, "Hear my prayer." He says "From the end of the earth I cry out to you when my heart is faint."

Perhaps you have lived long enough to know that there are days and seasons where our hearts our faint - when we are weak and discouraged, burnt out. Perhaps that is you today or perhaps you know someone who is experiencing that right now. If that is you or if you know someone that is faint, this psalm is for you and it is for your friend or family member. 

In verse 2, he says "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." There is a safety and refuge that is greater than anything we can conjure up in our own life. There is a safety and refuge, a safe haven that is better than anything that this world can offer. I love verse 2 that says lead me to the rock that is higher than I. David declares in verse 3, "For you, O Lord, have been my refuge." You have been a strong tower against my enemy. You, O Lord, have been my firm foundation. You, O Lord, have been my safety and my safe haven. You have been my rock and my salvation. And he declares that this refuge is better than him. This refuge is better than the world can offer.

God wants us to come into his presence each day and to know that in his presence, we can find refuge, that he is our rock and our salvation, that he is our help in times of trouble, that he is our strength when we are faint. And when we come into his presence, he invites us to dwell in his tent, he invites us to take refuge under the shelter of his wings. He is our rock.

Now you may be confused by the latter half of his psalm. Why is David pleaing to the Lord to prolong the life of the King that his year may endure to all generations? Why is David saying that? We have to come to understand that David's plea for blessing and a prolonging of life for him as the king is not just a selfish prayer, but it's because the blessing and prolonging of life for the king will ultimately be a blessing to the people he oversees. So he says in verse 7, "May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him." When our king remains enthroned forever, the kingdom is blessed. The people in the kingdom are blessed. And in verse 8, he says, "So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day." The result of this prolonging of life and this blessing is the result of praise and worship.

Today, I want to encourage us to know that we have a King who endures to all generations. Out of the line of David, we have a King named Jesus. And it is through Jesus that we can be blessed by his steadfast love and faithfulness. We can be blessed by his Kingship over our lives. God our Father appoints steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him as our King. And it is for this very reason that we can sing praises to his Name. It is for this very reason that we can find refuge in his Name. It is for this very reason that we can go to the Rock that is higher than us. He is our refuge and our safe haven, our strongtower against our enemy, our strength when we are faint.

Let's pray.

Father we thank you for your Son, Jesus. We thank you that he is our King that endures to all generations. Lord we thank you that you have appointed steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over your Son Jesus. We thank you that he is our everlasting King. So today we want to sing praises to your Name. When we are faint, when we are tired, when we are burnt out, when we are struggling to make ends meet, when we are going through family and friendship struggles - Lord whatever it may be in our life. Lord we need refuge and strength. Help us to know that we have a Rock who is higher than us. Lead us Lord to the Rock that is higher than us, for you have been our refuge. a strongtower against our enemy. We pray all these things in your Son's name, amen.

Thanks for joining us in our daily devotionals. Let's go to our Lord, to our Rock, to our Refuge. Have a great Friday.