Read Psalm 61
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.
1 Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
4 I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
5 For you, God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Increase the days of the king’s life,
his years for many generations.
7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.
8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name
and fulfill my vows day after day.
Go Deeper
According to dictionary.com, overwhelmed means to be “overpowered…to be buried or drown beneath.” Most people feel overwhelmed at some point in their life. Many of us woke up today feeling overwhelmed, buried beneath responsibilities and unpredictabilities that seem insurmountable. What can we do when we feel like life’s realities are overpowering our abilities?
David’s example in Psalm 61 provides some guidance. As we read, we can almost picture David in a hole with sand spilling over the edge, quickly rising, while he pleads for God to notice him. When we are overwhelmed, it can feel like we are alone, unnoticed, or suffocating as life piles more and more and more onto us. When David feels this way, he asks God to guide him to “the safety of a rock that is high above me.” When we are down in the trenches, feeling buried beneath life, we may not see how to escape.
But God sees all⏤before and beyond⏤so He can lead us in the steps to climb up and out. While He may not stop the spilling sand, He can guide us around it or through it. We can visualize David stepping on a crack in the edge of the hole, shaking sand from his hair as he grips the edges of the slope. He carefully places his hands and feet on each place God lights. So often, this is how God guides us from the hole of overwhelm⏤slowly, steadily, sturdily. Oh, how we wish He would just pull us from the pit and place us in protection instantly! Sometimes He does. But something special happens as we carefully clamber up⏤our strength and faith grow as we climb, step by step.
When we listen to God’s voice and follow His lead, God reminds us of who He is and what He has done. David remembers how God has saved him before and how secure he felt in God’s presence and provision. This marks a shift in the song and in our perspective. We realize, as David realized, that we are not alone. We are noticed. We are loved. We are cared for. We, like David, can praise God for His faithfulness, love, and care.
Questions
- We each experience the feeling of overwhelm in different ways. Think of a time when you were overwhelmed. How did it feel? Did it feel like you were drowning? Falling? Buried? Weighted down?
- What brought you out of the overwhelm? Was it an instant escape or a slow trudge?
- How can David’s experience in Psalm 61 and your own past experiences give you hope when you feel overwhelmed?
A Quote
“It is hard to pray when the very heart is drowning, yet gracious men plead best at such times. Tribulation brings us to God, and brings God to us. Faith’s greatest triumphs are achieved in her heaviest trials.”
Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 61:2
7 responses to “Psalm 61”
“From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (v2).
There’s no space/circumstance that sovereign God is not aware of. He sees, and will see to it. As we turn our faces to him in surrender, he delights in showing us the wall we think we’ve hit is actually a step to a way through. In an ever changing world he calls us to himself to steady, supply and support us as our rock and refuge.
The darkest, most painful season of my life became the most sacred and precious—because it was there that I met Jesus.
Wow! Amen!
“Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues.” – Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692).
Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
BUT GOD
He hears our cries, sees our tears, and understands our grief of being overwhelmed. He also wants to heal our wounds, by soothing them with His healing presences and to replace the hurt with more of Himself. But you have to do the inviting in of God into the broken places in your life. Then God can do help with that peace. It is ok to feel all the sadness, anger, grief but to not wallow in it. Let go and let God be your help in time of need. He will work something good from all. Hopefully, the words of this Psalm will bring you comfort and a small amount of peace as you remember that when your heart is overwhelmed, YOU PRAY! you always find rest in God, your rock.
God thank You for always, always, always being but a breath away. I am so thankful, grateful and beyond blessed at this knowledge. God help me to cry out to You first about all situations. You are my rock and You do sustain me. God show me Your ways and help me to not make the junk of this world my idol. God, today, in these minutes of this day help me to think You first. Let my heart be in a continual pray today. This world is not my home. Let my words be to honor and glorify You. Let Your light so shine in me, that they know I am Yours. God thank You for loving me. Thank You for helping me share that love, today in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
Here is a beautiful song with the first four verses of Psalm 61 used directly as the lyrics. Very helpful for memorization purposes!
It is performed by Matthew Ward, of the 70s group Second Chapters of Acts.
https://youtu.be/wM3zOBd3s5A?si=Mt52OZt4-BqhoRuv
Thanks for sharing the song! There is something powerful when you hear these psalms sung.
8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name
and fulfill my vows day after day. With deliverance anticipated, David vows to “ever sing praise” and keep his promises “day by day,” making worship a life-long rhythm.
Listening and worshipping through song doesn’t erase the reality of long- suffering, but it lifts my heart above it for a moment and reminds me that God is still present, still good and still worthy of praise in the middle of it all.