Waiting in Silence for God – Psalm 62

A text – Psalm 62:5-12
62:5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
62:6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
62:7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
62:8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
62:9 Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
62:10 Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
62:11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
62:12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.

A reflection:

God is the be-all and end-all, this psalmist wants to say. Waiting for God brings the hope that we seek.

We cannot trust in rank or privilege; we cannot trust riches (either legitimately gotten or ill-gotten).

The line that comforts and also discomforts me the most here is the first: “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.” I love the idea of waiting in silence for the Lord to bring the hope God promises. I picture a holy place, me, sitting there, perhaps smelling incense or viewing fire or smoke rising, and waiting. And in less time than you’d imagine, I have become impatient and I don’t want to wait any longer. I tap my foot and I want to turn on some music – anything to fill the time waiting. I want to wait for God alone for my hope is from him. And at the same time I do not want to wait at all.

I have done something a thousand times over the past 35 years with groups of people whom I used to teach to Dwell in the Word. We would read a Bible passage, usually Luke 10:1-12. Someone would read it aloud, and then, always forewarned, the group would sit in silence together for 1-2 minutes, to let the words echo, to let the images rise, to let ourselves just be with the Word and see where the Holy Spirit would capture our attention. For some folks, one minute is way too long. For some folks, two minutes is way too short.

And I truly believe it has almost nothing at all to do with people’s faithfulness or piety. It has more to do with practice. Waiting for God is a spiritual practice. If we don’t practice it, just like playing a musical instrument, we don’t get very good at it. Oh, there are some people who do NOT want to wait around for the Holy Spirit to lead us because they DO NOT WANT the Holy Spirit to lead us. But mostly folks are interested in trying it out.

Ask me sometime about Dwelling in the Word. Especially if you are OK with waiting in silence for God.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us this psalm about waiting for God, for our hope is in God. Help us to practice waiting for you, because we know the wait will be worth it.    Amen.