Psalm 62:8 – Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge.
Being listed as a psalm of David, this psalm is directed at the faithful within the people of God, at that time, the nation of Israel. Even though it was directed at the faithful of that era, several aspects of what David is encouraging believers to do can bear fruit if we apply these truths today, as well.
Trust in him at all times. The Hebrew word here for trust expresses many aspects of faith and trust: boldness, confidence, security, carefree of anxiety, hope. When we place our trust in God, we can have a sense of boldness and confidence in our thoughts and actions, because we recognize he has always been faithful with his people. Knowing God can provide security since we understand he holds the future. This confidence and security then foster a sense of hope that is anxiety-free and allows us to remain focused on his kingdom and his purpose for today.
Pour out your hearts. The heart is the seat of our deepest emotions and longings. To pour out our heart to anyone, including God, is in itself an exhibition of the deepest trust, as we may rarely let anyone inside the “walls” of our own making.
Albert Barnes writes:
The idea is, that the heart becomes tender and soft, so that its feelings and desires flow out as water, and all its emotions, all its wishes, its sorrows, its troubles, are poured out before God. All that is in our hearts may be made known to God. There is not a desire which he cannot gratify; not a trouble in which he cannot relieve us; not a danger in which he cannot defend us. And, in like manner there is not a spiritual want in which he will not feel a deep interest, nor a danger to our souls from which he will not be ready to deliver us. Much more freely than to any earthly parent – to a father, or even to a mother – may we make mention of all our troubles, little or great, before God.
God is our refuge. A refuge is a place where one flees for protection. The refuge provides security and safety from danger. According to David, this is who God is. Living in this world, we are presented with many dangers that can assault us. These things can either drive us away from God (as we seek to rely only on ourselves and our own designs) or they can drive us toward God. Those who are driven toward God are protected from many of the typical cares and anxieties that plague those around us.
Some view God as a “crutch,” saying that only the weak look to something outside of themselves to “help them through.” To this, the person of faith would say, “a person who is weak and lame and is need of help certainly needs a crutch, it is there to assist them.” In the grand scheme of all that exists, humans are weak, lame, and in need of help, as we cannot control all of our circumstances or know the future. Yet those of faith know Someone who does know the future and can control all circumstances. If that is considered a crutch, then so be it; I will use it gladly and thank God that he has provided it for me.
David encouraged trust in God and pouring out our hearts to him at all times. God has designed us as humans to trust in him. He has placed a yearning within us to pour our hearts out to him regarding all of our needs, hopes, and desires. If we choose not to, we are actually working at cross-purposes with his intent for our lives, and many unnecessary consequences can unfold. However, when we do trust in him and communicate the deepest recesses of our heart to him, we can be safe within the refuge he provides.
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