My soul waits for God alone

Psalm 62:1-2

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

I find it so hard to wait in silence. I like to shout and complain when things seem to be going wrong. It really doesn't make any sense since God has all things under his control and I am able to control very little. And yet, despite my lack of control and my propensity to mess things up when I do control them, I still have trouble simply relaxing and letting God handle things. I try to jump ahead, make plans, set plans into action, and then think through all the things that may go wrong and worry about it all.

Psalm 62:5-7

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

But this is not the way we as Christians are to do things. We are to wait on the Lord. We are to have complete trust that he is in control and that he will take care of things. But many Christians throughout history have had terrible things happen to them. So maybe this isn't such a comfort. If Christians can be burned at the stake by their church leaders, is waiting on the Lord in silence really comforting?

I think the issue comes down to where we derive our comfort and our satisfaction. If we are looking for our own personal fulfillment and pleasure then losing our lives or going through particularly tough times will not be seen as a good thing. If we idolize our families then our children turning from God will be a terrible blow to our happiness. If we desire a luxurious life with all of the amenities that are available to use today, we are not likely to willingly accept poverty, disease, or pain.

Psalm 62:9

Those of low estate are but a breath;
    those of high estate are a delusion;
    in the balances they go up

As seen in Psalm 62:9, we are not that big a deal. It's not truly about us. Whether we're big shots in the eyes of the world or nobodies in the eyes of the world, we are "but a breath." In fact, those of us who are well off would be wise to remember that this verse tells us that "those of high estate are a delusion."

So how are we to view things in a way that allows waiting on the Lord to be a comfort?

Psalm 62:11-12

Once God has spoken;
    twice have I heard this:
    that power belongs to God,
and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
    For you will render to a man
    according to his work.

I think the answer to this is all in our own attitudes. We are responsible for ourselves and must leave others to God. We cannot be the Holy Spirit for those around us. This simple realization will take away a lot of our worry.

We also need to make sure that we have the heart of God. Of course we will have desires—but if our desires are God's desires, we will be satisfied no matter what may come. Psalm 37:4 says Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. If we find our delight in the Lord, we will get what we desire (the Lord). This is a radical concept but is found throughout the scriptures.

So when the storms come—and they will—we may wait in silence on the Lord knowing that he is in total control. And whatever he wants to happen will happen (Isaiah 46:10   I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure')

But those who wait on the Lord
  Shall renew their strength;
  They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
  They shall run and not be weary,
  They shall walk and not faint.    – Isaiah 40:31