PHOTOPHILIC

 Psalms 62:5-8

My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, he is my defense, I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory:  the rock of my strength refuge and my is God,
Trust in Him at all times, ye people, pour out your heart before Him, God is a refuge for us.  Selah.  KJV

My soul wait only upon God and silently submit to Him, for my hope and expectation are from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, He is my defense and my fortress, I shall not be moved.
With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my rock of unyielding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is God.
Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him.  God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower)  Selah (pause, and calmly think of that!)     AMP 


1) Wait - v.i. - To remain in a place or state of inactivity,
          indecision, delay or anticipation because of some
          event expected to happen or a person expected to arrive.
          To be in readiness.

2) Only - adv. - solely, merely, just - as the sole consequence.

3) Expectation - n. - a looking forward with hope or pleasure.

4) Rock - n. - fig. - a firm foundation or support.  An aggregate of
          particles composed of one or more minerals forming the
          major part of the earth’s crust.

5) Salvation - n - the act of saving from destruction or
          catastrophe

6) Defense - n - the act of resisting attack, something that
          defends, a fortification.

7) Glory - n - praise, adoration - (in my glory) - in a situation
          which gives intense satisfaction.

8) Strength - n - capacity to exert force, the capacity to resist
          strain, stress.

9) Refuge - n - shelter or protection from danger, distress or
          difficulty, a person, thing, or course of action offering
          protection.

10) Trust - vt. - to have faith in, to rely on, to do something or
          permit to believe, to confide.

11) Pour - v - to send out in a stream, to discharge profusely

12) Fortress - n - fortified place, military stronghold.

13) Unyielding - un - lack of, opposite of yielding - vt. -  to
          surrender, to give up, to relinquish to another.

14) Impenetrable - un - lack of, opposite of penetrable  - to go into
          by piercing.

15) Confidence - n - state of trust, reliance, a feeling of hope on
          which one relies.





1) wait - 1826 - damam - daw-man’ - prim root - to stop - cease,
          hold peace, be (stand) still, tarry, wait.

2) only - 389 - ‘ak - surely, in any wise, at least, but certainly

3) expectation - 8615 - tiqvah - tik-vaw’ - from 6960 - expectancy -
          hope, live, thing that I long for.
               6960 - qauah - kaw-waw’ - to bind together, look   
               patiently, tarry, wait.

4) rock - 6697 - tsawr - tsoor or tsur - tsoor - from 6696 - a cliff or
          sharp rock.
               6696 - tsuqrah - tsoo-raw’ - a rock.

5) salvation - 3444 - yeshuw’ah  - yesh-oo’-aw - something saved,
          deliverance.

6) defense - 4869 - misgab - mis-gawb’ - from 7682 - fig. a refuge,
          defense, high fort.
               7682 - sagab - saw-gab’ - to be lofty - defend, exalt.

7) glory - 3519 - kabowd - kaw-bode - rarely or kabod - kaw-bode’
          - from 3513 - in a good sense, splendor or copiousness,
          glory, honour.

8) strength - 5797 - oz - oze - or fully, owz - oze - from 5810 -
          strength, force, power
               5810 - ‘azaz - aw-zaz’ - to be stout, harden, prevail

9) refuge - 4268 - machaceh - makh-as-eh’ or machceh -
          makh-she’ 2620 - a shelter, hope (place of) shelter
               2620 -cjacaj - khaw-saw’ - to flee for protection to
               confide - make refuge. 

10) trust - 982 - batach - fig. to trust, be confident or sure, put
           confidence in

11) pour - 8210  - shaphak - shaw-fak’ - to spill forth, gush out,
          pour.


    The last word in this selection of verses has caught my heart and mind.  In Jewish poetry, the reader is often told to stop and think about what was just read.  Even back when the Bible was being written the authors were aware that we human beings traverse through life without much thought.  We get up, start our days, proceed through the day by taking care of the things that come across our plate, and in the evenings generally do something that is called relaxing or vegging.  So much of our life has become routine.  We do things without thinking.  We eat what we eat out of convenience and not out of thought.  I find that I float so to say through life. 
    Don’t get me wrong, we make plans, we set appointments, and we think that we determine the direction that our lives are going to go.  But in reality most of us are reacting to outside stimuli and not to well thought out plans.  How often do we spend time in prayer seeking the Lord for just exactly what it is He desires us to be planning for tomorrow, the next day, or even next week.  I know that I slack very badly in this area.  Maybe that is why the last word in this portion of Scripture has hit home. 
    It is more than taking time to smell the roses.  It is more than weighing the pros and cons.  It is a deep consideration of all that God is teaching and sharing with the reader.  In this portion there are several words that seem counter to reality.  The person that is taking the time to read this portion should also take the time to ponder what the meaning  is and how is should affect his life. 
    Take a moment to consider the admonition to wait.  I have come to the realization that humans do not wait well.  Wait does not mean to waste time, it means to anticipate an action in the future.  We are impatient, we want what we want, when we want it.  This usually means that we want it right now.  Oh we make plans for the future, but they are really just suggestions.  It is the here and now that we have trouble dealing with.  So when the Lord tells us to wait on Him, we have great difficulty. 
    Then the verse continues, we are to wait only upon God.  Not on our fellow human beings, not on our government, not on our bosses, not on our children, and the list continues.  This implies that we place our faith in others to perform as we expect them to.  It means that before we seek out the Lord we will first look to our neighbors, family, and friends to provide for us what we need.  The word only is an interesting word.  It means solely, merely, just.  We will wait on no one else.  We will wait on God alone.  Our hearts and our eyes will not stray.  They will turn to the Lord God for all things.  This concept is very scary in that it is so contrary to reality.  We have learned to count on our neighbors, families and friends.  We have also learned that they let us down.  They are not completely faithful.  That God is the only (solely, merely, just) one that is capable of this seems to slip our comprehension.
    The next word is expectation.  Every person alive has expectations.  I have them of and for my children.  I have them for myself.  I have them for my husband.  I have them of life in general.  Simply put I have them.  But here I am told that my expectation which is a looking forward with hope or pleasure is from the Lord.  As I take the time to stop and think, (Selah), I realize that I am looking in the wrong direction most of the time.  I will naturally be disappointed when I look to imperfect people to fulfill my expectations.  I am learning that as I wait on the Lord and Him alone my expectations become more in line with His Word and His desires for my life.  When this takes place I find that I am not disappointed in the events of life taking place around me. 
    Verse 6 is very powerful once verse 5 is completely understood.  Life happens and we cannot stop it from happening.  In reality we have very little control over any of the things taking place in our lives at any given moment.   Were we honest with ourselves we would realize that our feet are not on solid ground at any time during our life unless they are planted in the Lord.  There are just too many things that play into what is happening to us to trust that we are in control of everything.  We cannot  control every action that causes events in our lives to take place.  We just cannot.  So it makes better sense to solely, merely, and just look to the Lord at all times to be our Rock and foundation for life.  Once we have made this choice we must determine in our hearts to not move from that spot.  Let life rage, storm, and fall apart, stand firm on the rock of Christ.
    In verse 7 the author lists several things that God is.  He is our salvation, He is our glory, He is our rock, He is our strength, and He is our refuge.  In truth, as I thought about what these words imply, I had to acknowledge He is not all those things in my life all the time.  It is not He I turn to first.  It is not He that I trust my deepest secrets to, it is not He that I seek when I need the strength to face things, and it is not He that I hide in when times are rough.  I do eventually get there but it is only after everything else fails.  Shame on me.  He should and must always be my first choice, my first direction, and my first heart cry.  In truth, this would lessen the disappointment, the pain, and sorrows of life.
    Verse 8 concludes by once again admonishing us to trust, and pour out ourselves to the Lord.  Don’t look to others for the answers, the direction, or the security of life.  He must become the one person that hears your heart, that you trust with your heart, and that you follow completely with your heart.  When this is done you will find that He is a refuge and a protection from this life.  Be open before the Lord.  Don’t hide from Him.  In truth He already sees and knows what you are trying so hard to hide from Him and everyone else.  Be completely transparent with Him. 
    Now back to Selah.  How is this going to impact my life.  Am I going to realize the most productive part of my life is when I am waiting on the Lord, relying on Him for all things, and not trying to “figure” things out for myself.  Living in the center of God’s will is not a certain job, or a certain life style, nor is it specific enough to be what today people call a calling, it is simply every moment of everyday seeking to wait on the Lord with expectation.  Every day will be an adventure.  Every day will open new doors or will follow down the path farther than before but every day will be in the center of God’s will if we wait only upon God. 
    What I see here is that when I live this kind of life, the addiction of food falls away.  It cannot compete with walking with the Lord.  When I turn to food other than at meal times and for nourishment, I am seeking comfort, control, and pleasure.  By waiting on the Lord, I don’t need control, God provides the comfort, and He will surely provided the godly pleasure that I seek.   Food or any other addiction is a poor substitute for the amazing relationship we can have with a God that is our salvation, our glory, our rock, our strength, and our refuge.  There is no other person or thing out there that provides all of this, no other. 

Father,

    Thank you for your word.  Thank you that you desire for me to know these things.  Thank you that in you I have all that I need.  I acknowledge that I don’t need food for comfort, I don’t need food to help me deal with life, and I don’t need food for anything other than nourishment.  Help me to keep my eyes focused on you and all that you do for me.  Help me to stand strong in this determination to follow you and obey you.  Lord you are my refuge, you are my strength, and you are my salvation.  Father God, thank you for loving me this much.  Thank you for being all that I need.  
   

Psalms 62:5-8

    My soul, wait(delay or anticipation because of some event expected to happen) thou only (solely, merely, just) upon God, for my expectation (a looking forward with hope or pleasure)  is from Him.
    He only (solely, merely, just) is my rock (a firm foundation) and my salvation (saving from destruction or catastrophe), he is my defense ( something that defends), I shall not be moved.
    In God is my salvation (the saving from destruction or catastrophe) and my glory, (praise, adoration) the rock (a firm foundation) of my strength (capacity to exert force) and refuge (shelter or protection from danger, distress, or difficulty) is in God,
    Trust (to have faith in) in Him at all times, ye people, pour (to discharge profusely) out your heart before Him, God is a refuge (shelter or protection from danger, distress or difficulty) for us.  Selah (pause, and calmly think or that)!