Catholic Commentary on Psalm 62

"Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him." (Psalm 62:1)

Rest in God Alone

Psalm 62 is a psalm of extraordinary interior calm in the face of external threat, and its opening verse sets the tone for everything that follows: Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. The word translated "truly" or "alone" is the Hebrew ak, a word of restriction: only in God, in God alone. Not in God and in my own resources. Not in God and in the king's army. In God alone. The restriction is the foundation of the calm.

The threats are real: enemies plan to topple David from his high position, delighting in lies, with mouths full of blessing but curses in their hearts. But against all this turbulence, the soul rests. The rest is not the product of a quiet environment. It is the product of a settled orientation. The soul that has found its resting place in God is not disturbed by external storms because its peace is not located in external circumstances.

People Are Only a Breath

The middle of the psalm delivers a diagnosis of all human confidence that does not rest in God: 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. Breath is the translation of hebel, the same word that opens Ecclesiastes: vanity, vapour, mist. Human beings considered in themselves, apart from the God who made them and sustains them, amount to a breath. The power of the lowborn and the status of the highborn are equally substantial: nothing. The person who trusts in extortion or takes pride in stolen goods is building on the same foundation of breath.

Pour Out Your Heart

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. The instruction is communal and comprehensive: at all times, you people. Not just when things are going well. Not just in the formal moments of worship. At all times, pour out your hearts. The Catechism describes this as the prayer of the heart that is always possible because the Spirit always intercedes within us (CCC 2719).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, find the rest today. Not the rest that comes when the problems are solved and the enemies are defeated, but the rest that is available right now, in God alone, before any external circumstance has changed. My soul finds rest in God. Say it until you feel it. The rest is there. It is a choice before it is an experience.

Prayer

Truly my soul finds rest in you, O God. You are my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken. I pour out my heart to you, for you are my refuge. My hope comes from you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.