calendar_today May 15, 2022

Psalm 61: The Rock

person Dr. Gary Hylander

view_list Psalms: Making the Connections ,

Psalm 61 can be viewed as an individual, royal lament. Positioned in Book Twoof the psalms, we once again note that the primary name used for ourSovereign Ruler is God (Elohim) rather than LORD (Yahweh). The more generalname for our Sovereign Ruler allows the psalmist to address people groupsfrom all nations. Psalm 61 appears after a series of psalms which identify sevendifferent enemies of God (Psalms 54-60). After this, four psalms appear( including Psalm 61) which express the cry of the messianic king (Psalms 61-64). This is followed by four psalms of response, in which God affirms hiscommitment to provide his protection for his king (Psalms 65-68).

This psalm was written in a time of adversity. The psalmist cries out to God,wanting to be protected from such severe trials, while experiencing God’spresence in his life. Today, if you find yourself in such circumstances, then usethis psalm to help structure your prayers for God to intervene.

When Praying In The Midst Of Trying Times…
– Look Back, And Consider How God Has Protected. (1-4)
– Look Ahead, And Consider How God Will Provide. (5-8)