Psalm 62:1-8
Psalm 62
Psalm 62 opens with a quiet sentence: "My soul rests in God alone." Then it turns honest. The writer feels pushed, like "a leaning wall, like a tottering fence," and names people who smile with their words but mean harm underneath. The psalm does not pretend the pressure is gone. It holds rest and trouble on the same page, which is why many people return to it when life feels unsteady.
When you journal with these verses, you can follow the same path the psalm takes. You can name what is pressing on you, speak to your own soul, wait a while in silence, and then do what verse 8 invites: "Pour out your heart before him." You do not need tidy words or a settled mind. A few honest lines, written slowly, are enough.
1 My soul rests in God alone. My salvation is from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress— I will never be greatly shaken.
3 How long will you assault a man, would all of you throw him down, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
4 They fully intend to throw him down from his lofty place. They delight in lies. They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.
5 My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken.
7 With God is my salvation and my honor. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Reflection prompts
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Verse 1 says, "My soul rests in God alone." Write about where your soul has been trying to rest lately. What are you leaning on, and how is that going for you?
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Verse 3 describes feeling "Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence." Where in your life do you feel a little tilted or unsteady right now? Describe it plainly, then write a short prayer about it.
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Verse 4 says, "They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly." Have you been hurt by words that sounded kind but did not feel kind? Write what you would like to bring to God about it, without needing to settle anything today.
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In verse 5 the writer speaks to their own soul: "My soul, wait in silence for God alone." Sit in silence for two or three minutes before you write. Then note what you noticed in the quiet: thoughts, worries, sounds, or nothing at all.
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Verse 2 says, "I will never be greatly shaken," and verse 6 says, "I will not be shaken." Write about a time you were shaken and still found your footing. What helped you stand?
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Verse 7 says, "With God is my salvation and my honor." Where have you been looking for your sense of worth lately? Write a prayer about what it might mean to receive your honor from God instead.
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Verse 8 invites you to "Pour out your heart before him." Write a letter to God and hold nothing back. Let it be messy, unfinished, or repetitive if that is what comes.
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Verse 8 also says, "Trust in him at all times, you people." Which times are hardest for you to trust: mornings, late nights, waiting rooms, quiet afternoons? Name one, and write a simple prayer you could return to in that moment.