I don’t talk to myself (at least not so others can hear), but I have known a few people who do, including one of my college roommates. She didn’t just talk to herself: she addressed herself with first and middle name, and sometimes even added a “honey,” as in, “Vanessa Renee, honey, you can do this!” In this manner, she would motivate herself to get out of bed, do her homework, find what she had lost, do laundry, and any other sundry task that beset her at the moment. While my 19-year-old self found this a little odd, it’s actually a wonderful object lesson of a spiritual practice found in Scripture, particularly in the Psalms. At times a psalmist will address himself, or more specifically, his soul, and tell it what to believe.
Psalm 62 is one such Psalm. Though we know that David wrote the psalm, we do not know the circumstances under which he did so. Likely he penned it after becoming king because he mentions enemies seeking to take out a person in a “high position” (v. 4). Regardless of the psalm’s backstory, we can all learn both from David’s example and his theology.
The psalm begins with a wonderful declaration of steadfastness:
I am at rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold;
I will never be shaken. (Psa 62:1-2)
Verses 3-4 give a hint of what’s going on around trying to shake the psalmist:
How long will you threaten a man?
Will all of you attack
as if he were a leaning wall
or a tottering fence?
They only plan to bring him down from his high position.
They take pleasure in lying;
they bless with their mouths,
but they curse inwardly. Selah (Psa 62:3-4)
We don’t know to whom the psalmist is speaking in verses 3-4, but in verse 5, he addresses his audience directly:
Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God. (Psa 62:5-7 CSB)
Tell Yourself the Truth
The psalmist switches from the indicative mood (telling the audience what is) to the imperative mood (telling the audience what to do). And the audience whom the psalmist is bossing around is his very own soul. Another surprising element of this switch is that the psalmist tells his soul to do the very thing that he has already said is true about him (see vv. 1-2). He begins the psalm by saying he’s perfectly at rest in God and that he only hopes in God. But now in verse 5 he’s telling his soul to rest in God alone.
Confused yet?
David can say that he’s hoping only in God, but he hasn’t mastered the concept yet. Just thinking about the enemies lying in wait for him gives his soul cause to tremble. So he grabs his own soul by the lapels and gives himself a stern talkin’ to.
I often need to do the same thing. And so do you.
Our emotions can run amok and take us on the train straight to Crazytown if we don’t get our thinking straightened out. That’s when we need to play a card from David’s deck and tell our souls what to do and remind ourselves of what’s really true.
We must fight against our enemy, the very father of lies (Jhn. 8:44), with truth. Sometimes that looks like a deep dive into the Word of God. And sometimes it looks like a simple command of the soul to believe what you already know to be true.
Some Truth to Tell Yourself
In Psalm 62 David not only teaches us to talk to ourselves, but also provides an example of what truth to offer. In verses 5-7, he peppers his soul some rapid-fire theology, with which we can counsel our souls as well.
Hope Comes from God
A restless soul is often restless because it’s searching for hope in all the wrong places. Relationships, goal weight, defiance of aging, achieving that status symbol (whatever it may be), having perfectly behaved children, taking the dream vacation, and infinitely more—all of these promise a carrot but deliver only a stick. In times of trouble, we look for hope as well: in medicine, in technological breakthroughs, in scoring a new job or big promotion, or in a change of season (marriage, kids, kids going to college, retirement, etc.)
The Bible promises a different type of hope that never disappoints.
And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom 5:3-5)
True, rock-solid Gospel hope isn’t a I-hope-I-get-a-pony-for-Christmas hope. It’s settled, Jesus-already-bought-and-paid-for-it, sure-thing hope. For this reason our souls must hope in God and God alone.
God is My Rock, My Refuge, My Stronghold
Where do you turn after a bad day? Food? TV? Books? Or maybe you go for a run or head to the gym or pick up your phone to call or text your best friend. While your place of escape may not be bad in and of itself, the degree to which you find refuge in that activity or person is the degree to which you don’t find refuge in God.
Our culture loves escapism. Binge-watching and binge-scrolling (Did I just make up that term?) aren’t guilty pleasures—they’re practically laudable in our Netflix/Disney+/ Instagram/Facebook culture. You can never scroll all the way to the end of your News Feed, and even if you finish every season of the show you’re watching, the magical algorithms will be suggesting more that you’re sure to love. Our entertainment sources go out of their way to keep us in the “refuge” of social media and TV.
We need David’s counsel to his soul: God “alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold.” I don’t need a new TV show; I don’t need any more “likes”; I don’t need a pint of mint chocolate chip; I don’t need a cinnamon dolce latte. I need to take refuge in God. I need to run to Him and pour out my heart before Him. I need to confess my anger, anxiety, frustration, or hopelessness to Him. Unlike the sandcastles to which we tend to run when the rain starts coming down, the Rock of Ages provides a waterproof shelter in the time of storm.
I Will Not Be Shaken
David’s words to close out verses 1 and 5 sound shocking and, frankly, a bit undoable: “I will not be shaken.” How can he say that? David was certainly not perfect, but he knows that if his soul will listen to the truths he’s speaking, he cannot be taken down even by the evil men waiting to murder him, or by any other set of circumstances, for that matter. The lies, hypocrisy, and conspiracies of his enemies may bruise, break, or destroy his body, but they cannot ultimately shake his faith. His Rock is certain.
David wasn’t special in this way. He joins a long list of other faithful witnesses whom the enemy tried in vain to shake off course:
- Though sold into slavery and wrongly accused of and incarcerated for sexual misconduct, Joseph saw God’s good providence (Gen. 50:20).
- Though all of his children and livelihood were destroyed in a single day and though he suffered great physical pain, Job continued to bless and worship God (Job 1:21).
- Hananiah, Mischael, and Azariah refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue even if God chose not to miraculously rescue them (Dan. 3:18).
- Daniel continued to pray to God alone, despite the threat of being thrown to ravenous lions (Dan. 6:10)
- The apostles were able to leave prison, “rejoicing that they [had been] counted worthy to be treated shamefully on behalf of the Name” of Christ (Acts 5:41).
- Paul and Silas, though chained and confined to a dank Philippian prison, sang hymns of praise in their darkest hour (Acts 16:25).
Our circumstances don’t have to rock our worlds. We can cling with confidence to our refuge and stronghold.
Though not the only counsel our fickle souls will ever need, these three bedrock truths are foundational to biblical thinking. When your world starts shaking, take hold of your soul and rebuke it with the truth. Talk to yourself.
Bible Study Nerd 