Pr Joshua Yong

¹ Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.
² From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
³ For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
⁴ I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
                                                                                                           - Psalm 61:1-4

The rock that David referred to was not a tiny piece of stone. The rocks David was familiar with were the mountains and hills in the Judean wilderness. These features have stood for thousands of years, standing unmoving and unwavering. The picture of a towering rock, therefore, is used in the Bible to represent stability, protection, longevity, and safety. David here described God as His rock. He was not looking so much to the hills and mountains as his source of safety, but he was looking unto his God as his rock that is higher than himself.

David was going through a very trying time when he wrote this Psalm. He was most likely fleeing as a fugitive from his son, Absalom. By this time, he had already been appointed king (v.6), yet he was not seated on his throne but was fleeing for his life. This was a time of exile. We cannot imagine the distress and sorrow David must have felt when his son and his trusted advisors betrayed him. David felt he was at “the end of the earth.”

1) The Availability (v.1-2a)

At this point, David felt he was at “the end of the earth”. The “end of the earth” describes the “edge” or the “extremity” of the earth. When a person comes to the edge of the earth, there is nowhere else and no one to turn to. That is when we seem so far away from all human help. David was far away from Jerusalem. He was far away from his throne and all human help. David felt “overwhelmed” or “faint”. He felt he had no more strength and no more resolve.

Yet, at the “end of the earth” and even in these times of greatest despair, David knew he could cry unto the Lord. David burst forth in prayer. He pleaded with the Lord to “hear” his cry and “attend” to his prayer. David’s prayer was not perfunctory; he was seeking the Lord’s attention. As he cried out to God, he pleaded for the Lord to listen to him attentively.

This is the wonderful privilege that all children of God have. When we go through life’s journey, we may sometimes feel like we have come to the end of the earth; we may feel overwhelmed and weak. It is especially during these times that we must remember we have our God who is ever-present, ever-listening, and always ready to deliver. We know we can cry out to God from the earth's farthest end, and our all-knowing God will hear us.

2) The Ascendency (v.2b-3)

But what did David cry for? He cried to be led to the “rock higher than I.” David wanted to be led to the rock that was higher than himself. The picture of the rock that stands higher than us is a description of God, who is the Rock that stands unmoving and unwavering. God is the towering Rock whose infinite strength surpasses our strength. Many of these mountain ranges have stood the test of time, yet we know they will crumble one day. But God, who is our rock, is always the same; He changes not.

David also described God as a “shelter” and a “strong tower”. The “shelter” describes a refuge. The “strong tower” describes a fortress. Both are places where people run to when facing danger. The pictures here portray the warmth, security, and safety that a person can find in God.

When David uttered, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I”, he was looking beyond himself. He was looking for a place of safety and stability found only in God. David was not seeking his own ideas or will. He was not plotting or scheming, thinking about regaining his throne or kingdom.

In our own lives, there are times when we feel vulnerable and threatened. During such times, we must not try to construct our shelters. What were the shelters you have tried to create for yourself? Is it your education? Is it your career? Or is it your wealth? These shelters are flimsy and weak. God is the rock that is higher than you are because He is higher than your ideas, your wills, and your plans.

Especially in times of uncertainty and tribulation, we must flee to God, our rock, our source of infinite strength and help. We can find refuge in the unmoveable Rock of Ages when we feel helpless and weak.

3) The Assurance (v.4)

As David sought the Lord, he placed his faith in the Lord and resolved to dwell in the presence of the Lord. Though “the rock is higher than I”, it is not inaccessible. David described its accessibility by describing his resolve to “abide” in the Lord’s Tabernacle. The Tabernacle that David referred to was not the physical Tabernacle because David was not allowed to enter the Tabernacle. Furthermore, he was “at the end of the earth”. David was referring to the presence of the Lord. To “abide” is to “dwell.” Even though David was on the run and at the “end of the earth,” he was not homeless. He had an abiding place – in the presence of the Lord. The person who communes with God will always be at home. To dwell in the Tabernacle conveys a sense of communion with God and quiet rest. Home is a place where we can feel safe and where we know we can find rest from the toils and battles of the world. For David, his “home” was in the presence of God.

David likened abiding in God’s presence to finding shelter under the protective cover of a mother’s wings. When we make our home in God’s Tabernacle, we will find a sanctuary that transcends the confusion of the world. It is the quiet place of rest and communion with God where we can renew our strength.

The pictures in this psalm tell us that God is not far away or detached. He is always guarding and covering us with His grace and mercy.

The word “Selah” means to pause and reflect. It means to take some time to reflect and ponder. Ponder upon the greatness of our God, upon the Rock “that is higher than I”, and upon the One who is our shelter and home. With God as our Rock of Ages, we know we can hide ourselves in Him.

O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly.
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine would I be;
Thou blest Rock of Ages, I'm hiding in Thee.
                                            - William O. Cushing