How are you feeling today? In this psalm, we see a worried king David, a man gripped by uncertainty. The phrase “my heart is faint”, is a passing line, but it describes how he is feeling.
(A) Cry out: a worried heart is faint (Ps 61:1-2a)
David wrote the psalm and he addresses the psalm to God. From the superscription, we read that it was meant to be sung and set to stringed instrument. Music in the Scripture is meant to be instructive. Songs were meant to convey content, perhaps unlike what we are used to today. Here, we might read it as a private, personal psalm of praise, but it actually has a public dimension to it.
We don’t know how this psalm fits into his life or when it was written. David was first identified as king and anointed in 1 Sam 16:1, but only became king in 2 Sam 2:4. Now, what happened between these 2 passages? Why did it take so long? This lag matters and was important in David’s life.
In this psalm, there is plenty of reason for David to be worried. Now, God doesn’t tell us when this psalm was written, but we can see clearly that this is a deeply worried man. But as he is pressing through his circumstances, he finds comfort in his faith and the king.
We have a default approach to worry. We have a habit and tendencies that are our own. When circumstances cause us to be afraid, we default to our processes. Think about the circumstances that you face today, this week, this month. When did u feel emotionally thrown off and unable to focus? Ps 61 gives us an alternate process — to cry out, look up and stand firm. We need to first understand this, then apply!
In Ps 61:1-2, the psalmist describes his emotional state. The psalmist calls it “my cry”, “my prayer” and “my call” (Ps 61:1-2). These describe an expression out from David. We learn from this that prayer is a verbal process (contrary to what we may be used to as modern people). Notice also how a call is directed to someone. It doesn’t just take place randomly.
This is a standard David move, where he requests that God hears his cry. Another example is in Ps 77:1-4 too, where he articulates his internal emotions and actions. David does this because he is communicating and expressing himself to God. He is directing his thoughts and words to God. We need to be mindful of the communicative aspect of prayer. We are not just thinking thoughts. We are talking to Him, almost as if He is right before us. And He is. We implore Him to hear our prayers.
Remember that when we pray, we are actually talking to a real God who is living and there. He doesn’t exist within our minds and imagination. He exists outside of it! If we don’t believe that, we won’t pray.
(B) Look up: the fivefold look at God (Ps 61:2b-4)
David made three requests and expressed his applied theology in a fivefold way.
These verses remind us that we can be ourselves and entrust ourselves to Him. He is our safe space.
Notice how David slows down as he prays. How do you pray? What are your habits as you worry? We automatically default to consequence analysis (outcomes and what is the worst thing that can happen) and then, what we can do about it. The next time you are worried, pause, and think about ten things you know about God and write them out. Pen them down and think hard about what the words mean. These biblical images of God are there for us to meditate. To the degree that we do that, we will look at God clearly, and our emotions will fall into place.
But this is really hard because most of our religious consumption has nothing to do with God at all. Most of our religious consumption has to do with religion. We end up thinking about our feelings — the songs, the sermon, the air-conditioning. We don’t think about what we are learning about God.
Remember the ten things or traits about God? Could you even say ten true things about God? And are these from Scripture? This forces us to confront our habits. What are we doing when we go to church?
(C) Stand firm: rely on the King’s religion and reign (Ps 61:5-8)
David goes on to write about vows that he speaks (Ps 61:5). These were articulated daily and needed to be renewed (Ps 61:8b). As people kept those vows, they also celebrated and sang about it. The words are here for use. God has graciously given these to us to sing!
Now, because God heard his vows, David entered the group of those that have previously had a relationship with God (hence heritage in Ps 61:5). He is in the same category as the patriarchs. He is moving away from just his emotions.
To help us understand this, we need to remember 2 Sam 7:18-29. God had promised that there will always be a descendant of David on the throne. This promise defines who David is. And then we read Ps 61:7. He has promised to be God’s and God has promised to be his. Hence, he is asking that God bless his kingship and prolong the life of the king. As that happens, David will praise God and perform his vows.
David is telling us that our faith cannot be individualistic and mainly be about the words that stir our heart. The challenge that we have is that we live in a society that wants to personalise and individualise everything. This part of praying looks foreign to us. How do we sing and pray our corporate identity? How do we worship God because we have a great King? David is articulating how their destiny is bound up with the king and his reign, and whether his faith is real. If God’s people don’t have a king who is faithful to God, the nation will be headed to ruin. If we don’t have a true representative who is faithful to God, we will not be stable.
This psalm shows us a connection between the king’s personal prayer of worry and its public impact on God’s people. David leans on this king which he prays will have a long reign, and prayed also for “steadfast love and faithfulness” in Ps 61:7. This is covenantal love and faithfulness according to God’s promises. As the king is faithful and righteous, so the kingdom thrives and prosper.
But now, how do we combine the two halves of the psalm? How does this help me deal with my worry? How can we understand that there is real security available? Ps 61:5-8 describes an objective identity. It is sung by God’s people whose destiny depends on the king. As long as the king is true to God, they are safe. Their hope is in their king.
Years later, we see the fulfilment of God’s promise in God’s true King, Jesus. In Luke 1:31-33, we read of how Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promises.
Today, we are now God’s people that cling to His promises. We pray and ask Him for a king that is faithful to His word, that is righteous and faithful, full of tenderness, equity, mercy and compassion. We need this kind of a king. This is where we go to stash our worries. This is the objective place, where God has fulfilled His promises in Christ.
Between 1 Sam 16 and 2 Sam 7, we see the character of David. He is bold before Goliath. When maligned, he did not engage in conflict and would rather be on the run than to go against Saul. He treated the lame and even his enemy with compassion. We see a glimpse of what David’s greater Son will look like, one who is more tender, compassionate, merciful, one in whom all our hope is bound up in. If we do not have such a King, we do not have hope! This is where we go with our worries.
What are you worried about? What makes you worried? We have one Christ Jesus who is our objective point of security. Turn to Him, bring your fears to Him. How do you pray for your worries? How would you pray your “looks at God”?