Sermon – Psalm 62 – Trusting in God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Psalm 62 – Trusting in God

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

January 22, 2012

I am continuing today with my series of sermons for the season after Epiphany about the character of God. These sermons are drawn from the Book of Psalms which are prayerful meditations on God and what God is like. First, we saw that our God is the creator of all that is, and so all that is should praise their creator, God. Then, we saw that our God is all powerful, and so all who worship him should pledge complete loyalty and total obedience to his commands. Last week we saw that God knows us intimately, he knows our names, he knows our feelings and thoughts and so we can express our joy, concerns, protests, and thanksgivings knowing that God is there and hears them. Today we will see that God can always be trusted even when nothing else can. Let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Three thousand years ago the most powerful man in the world was named David. He had united the twelve tribes of Israel into one nation. None of the local kingdoms could threaten him, neither could the once great nations of Egypt or Babylon. His capitol city, Jerusalem, was getting rich from international trade. He had just built a magnificent palace for himself and brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem so that the worship of God could take place right there. But then, the most powerful man on earth discovered that there was one thing he lacked. That one thing was trust. He had lost trust in everyone.

David's son was named Absalom. This name is a combination of two Hebrew words meaning “father” and “peace”. David was a man of war. He hoped that his son would be the father of kings of peace, shalom. But this was not to be. Absalom was a violent man who killed his brother to avenge the rape of his sister. He rebelled against his father, raised an army, and was marching on Jerusalem. At a time like this who could David trust? He couldn't trust his family because his own son had betrayed him. He couldn't trust his military officers, many of them had joined the rebels. He didn't know if he could trust his advisers and friends. He couldn't trust anyone in a situation like that.

We have all experienced times when we are not sure whom we can trust. Maybe you trusted a parent who broke that trust by abusing you. Maybe you trusted a spouse who broke that trust by divorcing you. Maybe you trusted in your retirement accounts which broke that trust by dropping in value. Maybe you trusted your mortgage bank which broke that trust with a foreclosure. Maybe you trusted your employer who broke that trust by eliminating your job. Maybe you trusted your health which broke that trust be getting sick. Whatever it is that we trust eventually that trust will be broken and we will wonder if anyone or anything can be trusted.

When David experienced this loss of trust he wrote a psalm to express what he was feeling. We still have it in Psalm 62.

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.[b]

5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

9 Surely the lowborn 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 put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”

David realized that even though no one and nothing on earth could be trusted there was one thing, only one thing, one person who could always be trusted and that was God. As the army of Absalom came closer to Jerusalem David realized that the city walls he had trusted for protection would become his prison. So he left his fortress with his army and trusted God, only God for his protection. God would be his rock and strength. God would be his fortress and shield. David decided to depend solely on God and fled from Jerusalem into the desert. And David told his people to put their trust in God as well. He said don't trust gold and money. Don't trust unethical business dealings. Don't trust your family and business connections. Put your trust only in God.

In our first reading this morning Simon and Andrew trusted in their boat, nets and ability to catch fish to make a living. Maybe the fish weren't biting. Maybe they hadn't caught any fish for a long time. Maybe they lost faith in their ability to catch fish and make a living. So when they heard God's voice from the mouth of Jesus they knew that the only thing they could really trust was God. So they dropped their nets and followed Jesus.

In the fifth century after Christ the Roman empire was crumbling. A bishop in North Africa saw that trust in an empire and in an established church was broken. In the year 410 Rome was attacked by the Visigoths. No enemy had done this for 800 years, The people lost their trust in the imperial government and the Roman legions. They needed something they could hold onto in the midst of change. They needed something to trust. Augustine told them to trust God. He wrote this prayer: “our hearts are restless until we find our rest in you. (Confessions opening paragraph)”

In the sixteenth century Martin Luther found himself excommunicated from the church he loved and was hunted by people who wanted him dead. The Protestant Reformation had turned violent. Facing death Luther realized the only thing he could trust was God. He said, “Faith is a living and unshakable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake. This kind of confidence in God's grace, this sort of knowledge of it, makes us joyful, high-spirited, and eager in our relations with all mankind” (Preface to Romans). Later that century, John Calvin said, “piety is that reverence joined with the love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces. For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him – they will never yield him willing service” (Institutes 1.1.1). For both Luther and Calvin faith or piety deals with our orientation to God. What is important is not, “What do you believe?”, rather “Whom do you trust?”  Faith is what allows us to put our trust in God.

In the 19^th century America was in the grips of a Civil War. Brother was fighting brother and it was hard to know whom to trust. In 1861 the Reverend M. R. Watkinson wanted the nation to be reminded that ultimately the only person we can trust is God. So he wrote a letter to the Treasury Department in Washington asking them to add a statement recognizing "Almighty God in some form in our coins." In 1863 the motto “In God We Trust” was added to our coins. Last year the House of Representatives affirmed “In God We Trust” as the motto of the United States in a resolution which passed by a 396-9 vote.

A contemporary theologian, Jurgen Moltman, has said, “Fish need water in which to swim, birds need air in which to fly, and we human beings need trust in order to develop our humanity. Trust is the basic element in which human life exists. - Trust is always a mutual affair, and this is true of our trust in God, because God trusts us.” (“Control Is Good – Trust is Better, Freedom and security in a Free World” Theology Today 62 no. 4 January 2006, 473.) So whenever their seems to be nothing we can trust we can always trust God because God trusts us first.

David trusted God and was restored as the king of Israel. Andrew and Simon trusted God and became fishers of men and women for Christ. Augustine trusted God and guided the people of God as the Roman Empire fell. Luther and Calvin trusted God and led their churches through religious wars that followed the protestant reformation. America trusted God and the Civil Way came to a end. So I urge you to not put you trust in material things or in relationships with others, or in the power of government or money. In a fallen world these things will eventually betray you. Put your trust only in God. Pour out to this God whatever distress you experience. Rest in his arms. Count on his protection. Allow God to provide security and stability in your lives. Remember that God is powerful, but he is not distant. God trusts you. God is faithful. God's love is steadfast. God is a rock you can stand on. God is our only source of hope and peace. You can always trust God.

Father in heaven, we come to you this day as our only hope. We know that the material things of this world and the relationships we have with others are but temporary. So they can never be fully trusted. But you are with us forever. We can always count on you. We trust you because you created us. We trust you because of your great power. We trust you because you have always loved us and care for us. And because of this trust we build our lives on you. You are our foundation, the rock upon which we stand. We pray this in your son's name. Amen.