“A singularity”

Meditation – Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Psalm 62 (Forward, p. 43) CEV p. 590

There is something quite remarkable in today’s passage, a certain concept that is repeated frequently. It is that human help and strength is decidedly inadequate and that only God is sufficient. Just notice how frequently, and in what contexts, the psalmist uses two particular words to describe God. The word ‘only’ for instance:

“Only God can save me, and I calmly wait for him” (verse 1).

“Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him” (verse 5).

Or the word ‘alone’:

“God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe and the fortress

where I am secure” (verse 2).

“God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe, and he is the

Fortress where I feel secure” (verse 6).

The context or placement of these affirmations is quite significance. Whereas the first instances are the psalmist’s opening thoughts, his preface, you might say, the second instances come after he has described his presenting problem:

“I feel like a shaky fence or a sagging wall. How long will all of you attack and assault me?” (verse 3).

“You want to bring me down from my place of honour. You love to tell lies, and when your words are kind, hatred hides in your heart” (verse 4).

And so his problems are two-fold: he feels weak and defenceless in himself and he feels threatened and attacked by many enemies on the outside.

So, what is his solution? It is God, and only God, God alone, as we have previously mentioned. Indeed, this is the advice that he leaves us with:

“Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns. God is our place of safety” (verse 8).

“We humans are only a breath; not of us are truly great. All of us together weigh less than a puff of air” (verse 9).

“Don’t trust in violence or depend on dishonesty or rely on great wealth” (verse 10).

To me, this raises two issues. The first has to do with the practice and priority of prayer. In some ways, this should be a ‘no-brainer’: we should always be praying. But here our psalmist, David, is even more explicit: we should go to God with ‘each one of our concerns.’ So, my question is this: do we routinely do this, or, as I suspect, do we imagine that some matters are too big—or too small—to ‘worry’ Him with? Either way, it betrays a lack of real trust in Him.

The other issue has to do with human resources in general and how often we have come to rely on them. Just think, on a wider level, on how much we rely on health care, on the judiciary and the policing system, on science, on regulations, and on government in general. (We expect our governments, locally, nationally, or internationally, to ‘bail us out’.) Or, closer to home, how we rely on our friends, family, and neighbours, or on ourselves. Our psalmist mentions ‘great wealth’ but isn’t one of the teachings of our age to build up a good nest egg for retirement. Maybe this too is something we need to ponder and re-evaluate. Maybe we need to learn to trust more in God and expect Him to help us. Maybe the psalmist’s message applies to us as well, that only God can help and that He alone is the one we can ultimately depend upon.

Forward notes: “For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation” (verse 1).

“One of the most helpful discoveries I made during seminary was the practice of breath prayer. This ancient form of prayer, which can be traced back to the desert fathers and mothers in the third century, can be used to calm the mind and the body in times of chaos or anxiety.

“This simple practice involves reciting a piece of Scripture, taking a deep breath through the nose, holding for a beat or two, and then exhaling while reciting the rest of the Scripture. This breath prayer helps me calm down and provides a valuable transition from one period of my day to another. I often sit in my car for a few moments in the parking lot when I arrive at work and in my driveway at the end of the day, offering prayer and centering myself for what is to come. The psalms are particularly suited to breath prayer and provide both a pause and an opportunity to pray unceasingly amid our hectic lives.”

Moving Forward: “Try practicing breath prayer each day this week. Is it a helpful spiritual practice for you?”