If you are like a lot of people, like me too, you have made sure that your DVR is set to record “The Last Dance” documentary that ESPN is currently running on Sunday evenings covering the year that the Chicago Bills won their sixth championship. There are all kinds of behind the scenes stories about Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and the rest of the Bulls organization. Some of the things that we are finding out about the team are real eye-openers for most all of us. I am pretty confident that if Jordan had not retired for those two years, the Bulls could have won 8 championships in a row if not more, but who knows. Along with the documentaries, Chicago Sports Net has also been writing a series of articles giving even more insight behind the scenes of the players. One of the articles was very interesting to me in that it talked about what the driving force is behind Michael Jordan and his success in basketball. As I read the article, it became apparent that this drive did not apply only to basketball, but also to everything that he does. He spoke of a continual drive and obsession to be the best at whatever it is that he is doing, and that this drive is unquenchable. He said that he feels as though he can never get rest because he must be the best at everything and he cannot shut it off. Currently he is the owner of the Charlotte Hornets, an NBA basketball team and they are not a very good team at all. Friends tell of how it drives him crazy to see the way the players play and he goes into fits of rage because of their inability to play to his level nor commit to doing the same. He is a loser as an owner and he simply cannot handle it. Jordan said that he is looking for peace and rest and is hoping that he can find it soon; possibly in his 6 year-old twin daughters with his second wife. He just wishes that he could turn it off so that he can rest.
Rest. Webster defines it as “a bodily state characterized by minimal functional and metabolic activities; freedom from activity or labor; the repose of death (eternal or heavenly rest); peace of mind or spirit. To be at rest is to be free of anxieties.” It sounds as though for some, rest will only come at death. Why is that? Why is it that we cannot be free of anxieties? Why is it that we cannot find rest? Where are you looking for rest? Psalm 62 starts with these words: “My soul finds rest in God alone; …” How did the psalmist do that? How do we do that? Many of God’s people sing this song, this Psalm, with the hope of fostering some kind of confidence in God’s care. Perhaps if I sing it over and over again it will do something for me? Perhaps this is a Psalm that people run to when they are faced with an obstacle that seems to be too much for them, or to send off people who use power, fame and wealth to oppress them. Why is it that we are often tempted to do one of two things: we either give up, or we seek security in something other than God? You can almost see the struggle that the writer is experiencing as he writes this Psalm. He starts off by making a declaration about God which sounds pretty good. He says vv.1-2 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” His rest is in God; his salvation is from God; God is his rock and fortress and he will never be shaken. Is that not what we all desire? To be able to go through life and be able to say that and live it? That would be awesome. I will never be shaken! Have you been shaken?
The psalmist goes on to say in vv.3-4 that he knows his attackers and he knows their intentions. He starts by asking ”How long will you assault a man?” This has been going on long enough and he wants to know if they are going to give up. He describes himself as a “tottering fence” that is about to fall over. He says that his attackers are talking “smack” about him and out of the very same mouth they bless him, and they curse him. That can take a toll on anyone. Maybe he is tired? Maybe he is confessing that he knows that he is in a weakened condition? Maybe he is describing what he thinks that they might be thinking about him? I don’t know for sure which it is, and it really doesn’t matter because at just the right time, when he is ready to give up, he is reminded of how he started this Psalm. In vv.5-6 he proclaims again “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. Earlier he said that he “will never be shaken” and now he is saying “I will not be shaken.” He is right in the middle of it now. This did not just happen. As I have shared with many people who are trying to get victory over something, even though they might be doing better right now, they need to prepare for what is right around the corner. Establish in your mind and heart what you are going to do when the next attack comes, and it will come. The psalmist expands on that statement in v.7 when he says “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” Isn’t it pretty cool to see that now he is ministering to other people? He has seen the hand of God and the faithfulness of God and now he is cheering on other people to do the same. Some of you find yourselves so deep in the anxiousness of the day that you can not possibly even think about being an encouragement to someone else. I promise you that if you do what the psalmist is encouraging us to do, there will come a day when God will use you to encourage someone else. Go ahead and pour out your heart to Him. PRAY!!! That’s what pouring out your heart to Him means; PRAY!!! He is interested in hearing the cries of your heart. Trust Him!
The psalmist now moves on to talk about, and state the facts about those who are attacking him. He has just finished addressing his own soul and now he is moving on to the people around him. He now wants to tell them what he has learned. Vv.9-10 “Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed in the balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.” Lowly men, exalted men, it does not matter; put them together and they cannot out weigh God. They are nothing. The psalmist describes them as a breath. Think about that this coming Friday night when we are supposed to get down to freezing again and go outside and give a big breath into the air. Tell me how long you can “see your breath.” That’s what the psalmist likens them unto. They have no weight, they have no staying power, they are nothing! Any human effort that does not arise from true faith has no lasting good. Even if you accumulate a little wealth or a lot of wealth, do not set your heart on it. It can be gone in a matter of a breath and when it comes to eternity it has no staying power.
The psalmist goes on to say something like “If I said it once, I will say it again” in vv.11-12. “Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to You, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For You will render to man according to his work.” The psalmist is saying “you can take this to the bank”, the love of God and the power of God are certain and sure. Also, a person’s work will show whether his faith is real or counterfeit and God will sort out who is who. This is a reason for the believer to be confident, but it also serves as a warning to the non-believer.
Who do you trust? You or God? Where are you looking for rest? Money, power, the stuff that you have accumulated, or God? Where does your salvation come from? All the good that you do and kindness that you show, or God.
My soul finds rest for today, tomorrow, and all eternity in God alone!
May that be true of everyone of us!