¹ My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

² He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

³ How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down— this leaning wall, this tottering fence?

⁴ They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. Selah

⁵ Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God ^[a] ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

⁸ Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah

⁹ Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.

¹⁰ Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

¹¹ One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong,

¹² and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

This chapter has brought comfort to me over the past few days, especially yesterday. I read it during the three hour ride to my grandfather’s funeral over and over again. When I pulled up to the funeral home I read it again. After the funeral I read it. And on the three hour trip back home it still comforted me. God gave me the strength to make it yesterday through the words of this Psalm.

As I stepped into the sight of my family, verses 3-4 were playing my head. I hadn’t seen or spoke to that side of my family for 6 months. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. I remembered that my soul finds rest in God alone, because he is my rock.

I sat in the funeral yesterday and began to feel anger toward some of the people in that room. Then I kept remembering the promise of God’s Word. It allowed me to pray for them; to pray for blessings over them. It allowed me to repeat forgiveness for them.

Verses 3-6 tells us that prayer can release our tensions in times of emotional stress. Trusting God to be our rock, salvation, and fortress will change our entire outlook on life. No longer must we be held captive by resentment toward others when they hurt us.

When we are resting in God’s strength, nothing can shake us.  If only it were that easy huh? I guess it is for some people. I wish I could wake up everyday and say that I have no resentment towards others; that I constantly feel like I am resting in God’s strength. I must take it one day at a time I guess.

This I am sure of, even though some days it takes me longer to realize: God is strong and you, O Lord, are loving. The Message puts it this way in verses 7-8: My help and glory are in God —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God— So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be.

A friend of mine this morning said, “God is stronger than my granite counter tops.” That is true, and so much more. The most comforting thing to know for me is that God is a safe place to be. He is safe and I have to keep telling myself that.