When I was growing up, my family loved to go on road trips together. On those road trips my siblings and I would pile into the backseat of the car, my mom would take the passenger seat, and my dad was always the driver. I remember one road trip in particular it was pouring down rain. My siblings and I, however, continued to do what we always did in the car – sleep. Even though there were numerous things that could’ve caused concern in us, we were unphased by the commotion outside the car and continued to rest. Why? Because we knew our dad was driving and we trusted him. We knew his character and that he loved us, wanted to protect us, and desired to keep us safe and secure.
Unfortunately, rest isn’t always something that comes naturally when adversity strikes. When hardship comes, rest isn’t usually the first inclination. It’s encouraging to read Psalm 62 and see that even King David wrestled with this.
At the time of writing Psalm 62, David is facing much adversity. His enemies are threatening him and attacking him, but this is his response:
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.
Psalm 62:5-7
In these few verses, David shows us how to respond when we are overwhelmed by hardship and struggling to rest in God. First, David preaches to himself to “rest in God alone.” He acknowledges that God is his source of rest and redirects his attention to Him. Then David reminds himself that the Lord is his rock, his salvation, his stronghold, and his refuge. David shows us that resting in God means trusting in His character.
In the same way that my siblings and I were able to rest in the car because we trusted our dad’s character, we are able to rest in the midst of adversity when we trust in our Heavenly Father’s character.
We might not be facing the same hardships that David was facing, but our hardships do have to face the same God that David’s hardships had to face. When our circumstances feel overwhelming, we must remind ourselves of the character of God as our source of rest.
