A Psalm for Restless Hearts
‘You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you’ (Augustine, Confessions)
Restlessness has become acute in our cultural moment.
Psalm 62* is a psalm for restless hearts.
1 (NIV) Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”
In the face of external assaults, malicious lies, duplicitous friends, and the lure of power and wealth, David discovers his true home: ‘My soul finds rest in God alone.’
I am like a tottering fence, a leaning wall. Friends come and go. Accomplishments, attractiveness, recognition, health, wealth and possessions come and go. They are all like vapor (see v. 9. The Hebrew word for ‘breath’ is hebel. Hebel is a central theme in Ecclesiastes, where it is translated as ‘vapor', ‘delusion’, ‘fleeting’, ‘empty’, ‘futility’, ‘vanity’). Running after hebel (vapor) is exhausting.
But God is my rock, my fortress, my refuge. God is my stable security. God anchors my identity and grounds my story in His power and unfailing love (see v. 12. The Hebrew word for ‘unfailing love’ is hesed, also translated as ‘loyal love’, ‘steadfast love’, ‘covenant love’).
And to God everyone will be accountable. He will make right everything in this twisted, unjust world.
I can trust Him. I can pour out my heart to Him. I can rest in Him!
*Psalm 62 is one of the Resurrection season psalms from this week’s Journey to Pentecost prayer guide. Click HERE for a link to the guide.
For a beautiful orchestral arrangement of Psalm 62 by the Australian band Sons of Korah click HERE.
For a deep dive on ‘restlessness’:
Over the past year my good friend and I have been working our way through an excellent book by James K.A. Smith: On the Road with Saint Augustine: Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts (Brazos Press). We meet monthly to unpack each chapter and reflect on how to faithfully live in this restless age.
Augustine (AD 354-430) was a pastor from North Africa. He is regarded by many as one of the most significant theologians in the history of the Christian church. His classic work, Confessions, is a courageously honest journal of his long and winding road to faith. Augustine begins his journal with this aching prayer: ‘You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.’
Philosopher Jamie Smith has spent much time on the road with Augustine. According to Smith, this ancient ‘patron saint of restless hearts’ knows far more about modern day prodigals like us than we might expect. He has been there, asked our questions, and knows our frustrations and failed pursuits. He has spent a lifetime searching for his heart’s true home, and he can help us find our way.
On the Road with Saint Augustine chapters:
Heart on the Run
Augustine our Contemporary
Refugee Spirituality
Freedom
Ambition
Sex
Friendship
Mothers and Father
Story
Justice
Death
Homecoming
For an in-depth review of Smith’s On the Road with Saint Augustine click HERE.
For a modern and readable translation of Augustine’s Confessions click HERE.
