“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I”……this passage just hit a little different.
When David penned these words in Psalm 61 he was journeying through one of the deepest and most painful valleys of his life. Although we do not know exactly when it was written most Bible scholars agree that it was written toward the end of his exile from Jerusalem when Absalom rebelled against him.
Let’s be honest, dysfunction is never really a good thing, especially within the family, and certainly David’s family was a dysfunctional family. Absalom had done his best to take his father’s throne and his father’s life. As a result of Absalom’s actions, David had been exiled from his home and his family (read 2 Samuel 15).
Absalom had done everything in his power to destroy his own father. The only reason David survived Absalom’s revolt was by the grace of God and most Bible scholars believe when this Psalm was written, the rebellion was over and Absalom was dead (read 2 Samuel 18).
Emotionally, David probably wanted to stay in that valley of despair, but he knew that he had to go home to help restore a nation torn apart by a brutal civil war and out of his sorrow-filled broken heart birthed this beautiful, Psalm. Out of that broken heart from that shattered father poured a song of undiluted thanksgiving, praise, and worship to God.
No cap, in David’s song we find help for our own hearts when we are called on to walk through the hard places of life.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I want us to fully recognize that while sorrows will be a part of life, a sweet song can come out of our pain to the glory of God.
4GIVEN 