Psalm 62:11

Psalm 62:11

Power belongs to God

This Psalm builds to an incredible crescendo in the last two verses. We have been reminded again and again that the Lord God is our rock, our refuge and our fortress and consequently our souls need to be at rest in Him. We have been told to trust Him, at all times, and to pour out our hearts to Him. Contrast that with the ways of the wicked who take delight in lies and who are so duplicitous in what they say. We need to remind ourselves constantly that we are nothing more than a breath and that the wealth and resources of this world are nothing compared to the rest that is found in the living God. 

Rather confusingly, David now says that God has spoken one thing but he, the writer, has heard two things! I think what David is saying is this, “God has spoken once, and I have heard it said repeatedly, that power belongs to God.” The next verse adds unfailing love to power but let’s just focus on the power for a moment. It’s a word that covers many scenarios from the mechanical strength of machines to the mystical gifts of demons! Human power can be wielded politically and individually and be used in many different ways, to bless or to abuse. God’s power is absolute, He can say what He likes and do as He likes and nothing can stand in His way. However, He uses His power with integrity, great wisdom and to serve His pursuit of righteousness, truth and justice. That power is primarily a spiritual force that defends God’s people and withstands the onslaughts of the enemy. On earth, God’s power is exhibited through creation, through love and grace, sacrifice and offering, humility and gentleness, through the written and spoken word and through purity and holiness. These qualities are exactly opposite to the ways that humanity defines and measures power, and we have great difficulty in understanding and coming to terms with this. God’s power was at its greatest when He knelt and washed the disciples’ feet and when He hung, bruised and bleeding, on a brutal cross. That sacrifice took incredible humility, the resurrection that followed was inevitable but had the power to save very soul that believes. You see God’s version of power is so different to our own. If we want that power, we must have a changed mindset that moves away from control and instead, learns dependency.

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