Psalm 61

1 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

4 I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.

6 Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations.

7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him.

8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows. (KJV)

This is another Psalm that David wrote during one of the times that he was facing opposition from his enemy. It is interesting as one studies David life how much of his struggles dealt with those close to him, such as Saul, his own family, and his own group of advisors. Yet as we look at the struggles we face in life, they are usually with the close circles of family, whose whom we work with, neighbors, or the groups that we associate with in our free time.

As I study this psalm today, I realize the importance of a King in my life. Aging is a process in which we see the world of an infant expand from a small family unit into the community around him and then deflate in the later years back to the small family unit or a close inner circle of friends. In this process, man moves from a secure environment to a world of uncertainty and then tries to move back to a secure environment in his later days on this earth. Security is the second level on Maslow’s Hierarchic Pyramid of Needs. It is this area that people seek to conquer once their Physiological needs are met. However, the Psalmist realizes that it is the good Shepherd that meets both our Physiological needs as well as our secure needs. This good shepherd person is also our King Christ Jesus.

As we study the gospels we are introduced to Christ. So, as I study this psalm today my prayer is simply to be more like Christ. My prayer is to abide in him. John writes these words to us in I John 3:6-8:

Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen him, neither knows him. My little children let no man lead you astray: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous: he that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Yes, I know I need a King in my life and that King is Christ. He is the one I praise and the one to whom I will seek to fulfill my vows. The key to serving him is for me to put off the old nature and strive to put on his nature. This starts by striving to live a blameless (however not perfect) life.