5 “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.”
I find though, that when I wait on God alone, God sends (or lets come) others into the picture. Maybe this way, I will understand that God has good purpose for the people in my life, even though their purpose can, at times, to me, seem questionable.
And so, on occasion. the silence in which in I wait turns to chatter of conversation, harmony of song, or recollection of voices, some of the past like parents who are ever so near and often firm in their conviction. Does not scripture say that you will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way, walk in it. Yea! This is supposed to refer to the word of God, right? Well sometimes my father’s voice, with its usual philosophical yet ultra-practical stance might just point out the stupidly of the action that I’m waiting in God to send an answer for. Or a hymn or song , or other poetic utterance worms its way into my consciousness, into the space that I was reserving for God alone, and pronto! Answer presents itself. God’s voice does, indeed, have different tones.
Of course, I have no problem with the psalmist’s opening assertion1 “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation”. Ture. True. True. Just that the salvation sometimes involves the wisdom this God has invested in others; because no matter how bad people can be, there are also God’s agents. Yes, it is true what he wrote 4 “Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse”. That’s about some of them- or all of them but only some of the time.
So that unfortunate truth is all too often true of some, of too many. And experiences of treachery make one trust neither those on the right nor on the left. It leaves one feeling like the psalmist, 9 “Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion”. Wow! Life can be hard indeed. And so, it is always wise to take the counsel 10 “Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery, if riches increase do not set your heart on them”. Riches, especially when gotten through the wrong means, and even when well earned, cannot be trusted, so indeed, don’t bank on what you’ve got in the bank.
Listen to words of wisdom. 11 “Power belongs to God”. Even if you don’t have, the God of power might just give you. And even of you have, the God of power might just let someone else have it, or even re-appropriate it!
Since God has the last say, well placed trust is trust put in God. Trust in God alone.Amen.