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Trusting in the Rock

 Psalm 71:5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

We like verses that start like this, don't we? They comfort us and help lift us. They declare where we have put our faith and for how long we have trusted in our mighty God. However, if we skip the first four verses of this psalm, it would be like jumping into the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” at the fourth verse. We miss a lot in that jump. 


So, look at what the author says starting in the first verse. 1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. The author uses similar terms to describe his life walk. He trusts Jehovah God, so he will not be confused. When we know God, we will find many confusing aspects of his being and his word that are impossible to resolve. God is infinite, and we are finite, so it is only normal to be confused. However, we have the resource of his Holy Word to guide us away from the most confusing aspects of life. The more that we know God, the wiser we become concerning life’s struggles. 

2 Deliver me in thy righteousness and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me and save me. 3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. 4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 


The psalmist’s life pattern has been as follows: he trusts God for deliverance, he expects God to listen to and save him from trouble. God has become his literal habitation, and that haven is like an enormous rock fortress. God allows attacks, but the author has hope, and that hope is in the Lord GOD in whom he has trusted since his youth. 


God never promises to remove us from all trouble and trials; he does, however, promise to be with us in and through tests. And you know that problems bring us to a closer walk with the Lord than tranquility does. So, my friend, create an intimate relationship with God, who is a fortress. He is a beautiful place to be in troubled times. 

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