The Believer's Refuge in Distress
Psalm 61:2
From the end of the earth will I cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.


I. There is no speck in this earth, no place in the vast extent of God's boundless creation, WHERE HIS POWER, WISDOM AND GOODNESS DO NOT EXTEND. For whither will you flee, where the hand of God cannot reach you; or where the eye of God cannot see you, and witness your every thought, word and deed? "Who by searching can find out God? Who can find out the Almighty unto perfection?" For what proportion can any series of finite numbers bear to Infinity?

II. CONTEMPLATE THE PERIOD WHEN THIS URGENT REQUEST IS MADE, AND WHEN THIS EARNEST SUPPLICATION IS POURED FORTH; namely, when the heart is overwhelmed, when the spirit is sorrowful, and when the soul is bowed down; when deep calleth unto deep, and when the waves and billows roll over the sinking and sorrowing soul. It would be easy to explain why the heart of the sincere Christian is often overwhelmed. Not only has he his troubles and trials in common with the rest of the world, but he has those which are peculiar to him as a member of the household of faith — as a traveller who is journeying to a foreign country — peculiar to him as a citizen of that city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God — peculiar to him as a soldier who is marching through an enemy's country to take possession of the promised land.

III. THE GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL ENCOURAGEMENT EVERY TRIED, TEMPTED AND TREMBLING SINNER HAS TO REPAIR TO THIS ROCK OF DEFENCE. For every believer freely acknowledges, and from his inmost spirit feels, that he is a weak, defenceless creature, unable to contend in his own strength against the powers of sin and death leagued against him; he finds that he has not only to wrestle against "flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places"; consequently he had need to take upon him the whole armour of God — he had need to fly for refuge to a stronger arm than his own for protection.

(N. Meeres, B. D.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

WEB: From the end of the earth, I will call to you, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.




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