Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of the Omnipotent God. By contrast, all other forces and false deities are non-potent. What a blessing to know the truth!
“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work” (Psalm 62:11-12).
The first puzzle is about these words “once” and “twice.” I don’t think they are literal; rather, it seems like a figure of speech. On the one hand, God would only have to say something once, and it wouldn’t matter if we heard it more than once. Literally, though, both God’s declaration and David’s other hearings probably happened far more often than once or twice. Like Paul’s three times praying about his thorn in the flesh probably refers to three focused periods of prayer, this could refer to two times in which David has had the truth confirmed to him in significant ways.
My personal inclination, however, is that the numbers are ordinal rather than quantitative. That is, God first spoke, and David second heard. Both words can be used that way. So God declares the premise, and then David sees the confirmation or repetition within the reality of life. Regardless of the precise meaning, what is important is the message itself. What is it that God has declared and that David has heard?
It is that power belongs to God. This really is a logical conclusion of the psalm. David waits on God alone, because God alone has the power. None of the other components David mentions can compare to God’s power. Not the enemies. Not the conspiracies. Not the violence. Not the deception. Not the quantities of common men united. Not the influential men. Not the wickedness. Not the crime. Not the riches. It all pales next to God, who is the only one with true power.
The profundity of these four simple words really struck me: Power belongs to God. Those words could serve as our shield or our anchor in the midst of any trial. When things are too hard for us, power belongs to God. When the attacks are fierce, power belongs to God. When everything we have built seems ready to collapse, power belongs to God. When we prepare to move into a new and possibly daunting endeavor, power belongs to God. When we deeply sense our own weakness, power belongs to God. These four words provide stability for life, regardless of the situation. But “What if …?” It doesn’t matter. Power belongs to God.
There are at least three conclusions regarding the fact of God’s power. First, no threat should leave us in a state of fear, because God has the power over them. Second, we can absolutely trust God in every situation, because He has the power to do whatever is needed. Third, when we lack strength, we can look to God who owns all the power and who gives it to us in our need.
The final verse of the psalm provides an important balance. God has all power – true. But He is more than just power. God could seem like a cold and heartless unstoppable force if we knew only about His power, but He is also a God of love. “Mercy” refers to gentle lovingkindness and favor. That divine response is very important. God’s powerful actions toward us stem from His love, and He cares for us the whole time that He is doing the actions. It’s not an “either/or” but a “both/and.”
Not all trials are alike. Sometimes we might be discouraged by not seeing how God can deliver; that temptation requires a focus on His power. At other times we might admit that God has all the power and that He sovereignly works out His will against all forces, but we struggle with whether He loves us in the process. We just want some gentleness and some love. God has that, too! Just like power belongs to God, and no one does power better, so lovingkindness belongs to God, and no one does that better, either.
David concludes with a proof of God’s love. He says that God recompenses men according to their works or actions. This is a demonstration of love, because it means that in the end, things will always come out right in the sight of God. That is true for both “good” people and “bad” people. The God-rejecters will reap the proper result of their evil deeds, and they will be punished and brought down. The God-followers will also reap the proper result of their deeds, and they will be delivered and blessed. There is some complexity to this discussion and some obvious finessing of the truth, but the bottom line is that God knows those who are His, and He responds in a just way toward people who are devoted to Him. That righteous response will result in vindication and reward, and it is produced by His lovingkindness.
I trust that these meditations on Psalm 62 have blessed your heart as they have blessed mine. May our loving, powerful God carry you through whatever lies ahead in the week to come.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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