Six years ago, we welcomed our only daughter Evie into the world. The caesarean surgery was scheduled, and we were confident that all was well. After the delivery, our doctor was concerned with her breathing and thought there was a possibility of an abdominal obstruction. Living in rural Ghana, with limited options for great medical care, we went to a small private hospital that did not have a NICU. Our two-year-old son was home with my mother-in-law, my wife was recuperating from the caesarean surgery at our local private hospital, while I stayed with our baby in the NICU at a bigger city hospital. This whole situation was quite stressful to say the least! I felt like I had to divide myself into three equal parts to be there for my son, my wife and my day-old baby daughter.
Psalm 61 was a great support for me through this situation. I was overwhelmed, I wasn’t sure what to do and felt helpless, but I had the presence of God, the Creator of all things, right there with me. There were days and times when I felt completely alone despite having people around me. My heart ached to have our family back together. This Psalm brought me great comfort amid this tough situation.
The background of this Psalm was the forced exile of King David. It is unimaginably painful to be betrayed by people we love, and even worse when this betrayal comes from one we hold dear; in the case of David, the betrayal was by Absalom, his own son. Due to the repercussions of multiple wives along with David’s sin with Bathsheba, there was great division in his household. David’s first-born son Ammon raped his half-sister Tamar who was the sister of Absalom. This wicked act enraged Absalom to the extent that he plotted for two years on how to exact revenge on Ammon. Absalom killed Ammon and fled to his grandfather’s house for three years. He only returned when he realized David had decided to forgive him.
Absalom, after he returned, did all he could to take his father’s throne. He stirred up the nation against David, and even persuaded the army and their commanders to side against his father. He eventually attacked David, who had to flee to a secret stronghold cave with the rest of his family to avoid being killed by Absalom.
It was during his exile in the cave, while trying to sleep on a cold hard rock, that David penned this Psalm. When everything stood against him and it seemed his throne would be taken away, God by His Spirit showed up and inspired this great song. Just when it seemed everyone had turned on David, David turned to God.
His past accomplishments meant little as he faced betrayal from his own son. He had won wars, killed giants, and had once rallied mighty men who were strong in battle — willing to sacrifice their lives to defend him. David had led the greatest expansion of the territories of Israel during his reign. He was a man after God’s heart, the poet King, the prototype of Messiah! He had been the conduit of so much good, was greatly blessed by God, greatly feared by his enemies, and had been adored by all of Israel. He set the plans for the temple of Yaweh in motion, made Jerusalem the capital of Israel and the envy of nations. God had guided David’s path from his youth, through both pleasurable and tough situations to prepare his heart to eventually rule the nation bearing God’s name. He was hounded by king Saul after Samuel anointed him as king, he committed murder and had to live with the guilt of his sins. He counted his army against God’s dictates and incurred the wrath of God. But now it seemed he was at his lowest of lows, lying on the floor of a cave, alone and exiled by his very son!
It is in this darkest point in David’s life that we encounter the depth of authenticity of his faith in God. When David thought his throne would be taken from him, he turned to the very God who had anointed him king. He asked for God to prolong his life and to appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him.
As children of God, we will have days of challenge in our lives. We may even face betrayal at the hands of people we hold dear. During such days, when we are overwhelmed and it seems like the weight of trouble and unbearable stress will drown us, David teaches us to call on the Rock of Ages. Call out to God, cry out to Him, ask Him to come into your situation. He will certainly defend us and show us mercy. He is an unmovable Rock; He will keep us safe. When our heart is overwhelmed and we are overcome with trouble, may God lead us to His Rock of security. May we cry out to Him during our time of distress as we pour out our soul to Him. He is available and He will come to our aid. This is exactly what happened to David as God came through for him. God protected him and returned the throne to him. David returned to Jerusalem again as king because his trust in God did not fail him.
In my own situation, I saw God move. He brought our family back together. My wife and daughter were healed. The Rock of Ages was right there with me even when I felt divided and alone. I found solace in knowing that even though I could not divide myself into three parts, the omnipresent God was watching over my family. Our help comes from the Lord who neither slumbers nor sleeps.