He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. (ESV)

Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (NIV)

 

Dive Deeper:

In Act I (Creation), we saw that God created the universe and sustains all things. He holds the world together by the word of his power. Not only that, but He made things good. He made the world beautiful. We know, however, that The Story of Redemption is marked by brokenness. 

In Act II (Corruption), the beauty, goodness, and perfection that God created was corrupted. Rather than obeying God, Adam and Eve chose to obey their sinful desires. They choose the path that seemed right to them, only to find that it led to death. Through their act of disobedience, corruption entered the world. Each of us has been marked by sin — we are sinful by nature and sinful by choice. Now if The Story of Redemption ended with corruption, all of us would be in trouble. Our problem is bigger than we can handle. 

 

But the Gospel is good news. 

We finally get to step into the third Act of Salvation, where we’ll see God provide salvation to humanity who is helpless to save themselves. People have tried many things to be right with God. People have tried many things to heal the corruption in their souls. But only God can meet us in our brokenness and provide salvation — He alone. In Psalm 62:2, King David writes, “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.” King David understood that only God could provide the shelter, rest, and salvation his soul needed. That’s why in this verse, David uses two images to describe his trust in God: a rock and a fortress. A rock represents strength. A fortress represents safety. 

Today we don’t use words like “fortress” to describe safety, but in ancient times a fortress represented shelter from danger. 

It represented rescue from the surrounding enemies. 

It represented peace in the midst of a chaotic world. 

It represented strength against the opposition. 

 In David’s day, an unshakable fortress meant an unshakable secure nation. The stronger the fortress, the stronger the nation. And in Psalm 62, David declares, “God is my fortress.” He looked to God and said, “That’s where strength is found. That’s where peace is found. God alone is where true rescue is found.” 

While it’s true that you and I don’t have literal stone fortresses, the reality is this: All of us have things we look to for rescue. All of us have things we turn to for safety. Please make no mistake, when life gets chaotic, we will always turn to something or someone for peace. When it seems like everyone in life is against you, you will turn to something for rescue. When you face opposition, you will go looking for strength somewhere. That’s because all of us need a fortress. And the good news of Psalm 62 is that God — the Creator of all things — wants to be your fortress. He offers salvation freely to anyone who asks. 

When you face opposition, turn to Him. He will be your strength.

When you’re overwhelmed by the chaos in the world, turn to Him. He will be your peace.

When it seems like the enemy is winning in your life, turn to Him.

He will come to your rescue.

You and I serve a good Father who offers salvation and wants to be your fortress. 

 

There’s one more thing, though, that I want you to see from Psalm 62, and it’s actually the very first verse. It says, “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.” Notice that David’s confidence in God allowed him to rest. David knew that he didn’t have to toil or strive because true salvation always comes from God. It was true for David and it’s true for you. You can rest today knowing that true salvation comes from God. Make him your fortress, and you will not be greatly shaken. 

 

Written By: Nick Harsh

Nick Harsh (MDiv, Clarks Summit University) is a ministry leader with The Salt Company, a ministry of Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa. While publishing regularly at nickharsh.com, his writing has also been featured at The Gospel Coalition, For the Church, and Relevant Magazine. 

Website: nickharsh.com