November 24 | Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 22–23; 1 Peter 1

The Will of God

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5

READ Psalm 62

God’s will is sometimes hard to follow. He asks us to do the right things. He calls us to endure hardship without complaining; to love awkward people; to heed the voice inside us that says, You mustn’t; to take steps we’d rather not take. So, we must tell our souls all day long: “Hey soul, listen up. Be silent: Do what Jesus is asking you to do.”

“My soul waits in silence for God alone” (Psalm 62:1 nasb). “My soul, wait in silence for God alone” (62:5 nasb). The verses are similar, but different. David says something about his soul; then says something to his soul. “Waits in silence” addresses a decision, a settled state of mind. “Wait in silence” is David stirring his soul to remember that decision.

David determines to live in silence—quiet submission to God’s will. This is our calling as well, the thing for which we were created. We’ll be at peace when we’ve agreed: “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This is our first and highest calling when we make Him Lord and the source of our deepest pleasure. “I desire to do your will,” the psalmist said (Psalm 40:8).

We must always ask for God’s help, of course, for our “hope comes from him” (62:5). When we ask for His help, He delivers it. God never asks us to do anything He won’t or can’t do.

By David H. Roper

When have you thought God’s will for you was difficult? How can you live in quiet submission?

I may not always understand Your will, Father, but I ask for help to submit to it. Teach me to trust Your good and faithful character. Please give me a submissive heart.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The phrase “my salvation” appears four times in Psalm 62 (vv. 1, 2, 6, 7). Two related words in these verses are translated “salvation.” All find their root in the Hebrew verb yaw-shah', which means “to save, to be saved, to be delivered.” David saw God as his true source of safety. In Psalm 27:1 he wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” The Old Testament compound name Joshua (“the Lord is salvation”) includes this root. Jesus, whose name is explained in Matthew 1:21, is the New Testament rendering of Joshua.