When My Heart Is Shaken

“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Selah.” (Psalm 62:8)

This reminds me of the lesson that we must be careful after receiving grace. In 2016, I experienced abundant grace during an internet ministry trip to Korea. However, after returning to the United States filled with that grace, I went through a time when my heart became shaken. I noticed that I was beginning to feel depressed without even realizing it. Although I was recovering physically from fatigue, I didn’t understand why my heart was sinking into sadness and then feeling fine again.

During that time, I came across today’s passage in Psalm 62, and verse 3 caught my attention:
“How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down—this leaning wall, this tottering fence?”

The psalmist David was under attack. His enemies had joined forces to try to kill him. David described his situation as being like a wall that is falling and a fence that is shaking. This was because his enemies were not only trying to bring him down from his high position, but they were also people who delighted in lies—blessing with their mouths while inwardly cursing him (v. 4).

In other words, David’s enemies were trying to shake him by targeting his defenses, like a wall or fence, and bring him down. This is precisely the work and strategy of Satan. Satan persistently tries to shake and even tear down the wall and fence that protect our hearts—the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). He continually attacks our hearts, striving to discourage us, depress us, and even drive us to despair. As a result, there are times when our hearts are shaken.

So, what should we do in such times? I have reflected on two things:

First, when our hearts are shaken, we must silently trust (put our faith in) God.

Look at the first part of Psalm 62:8:
“Trust in him at all times, you people…”
(The Living Bible: “My people, always trust in God.”)

When our hearts are shaken due to Satan’s attacks, we must hold onto two truths simultaneously:
(1) Even if our wealth increases, we must not put our trust in it (v. 10, The Living Bible), and
(2) We must trust only in God (vv. 1, 2, 5, 6).

Satan often attacks us with material temptations. Especially when we are in financial difficulty, he persistently tempts us with money. Sometimes, Satan even allows our wealth to increase in order to seduce us, so that in the end we serve both the Lord and money. Our hearts can easily be shaken by this temptation.

However, as the Bible says, even if our wealth increases, we must not put our trust in it (v. 10). Rather, like David the psalmist, we must always trust only in God (v. 8). Even when our hearts are shaken, our souls must silently wait for God (vv. 1, 5). We must look to the Lord alone in silence (vv. 2, 6).

How is this possible? How can we silently look only to God when our hearts are shaken?

I’m reminded of Psalm 42:5, 11 and Psalm 43:5:
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

I often make this verse my personal prayer. Especially when I’m discouraged or feeling inner unrest, I declare it to my soul and pray to God:
“James, why are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? James, put your hope in God!”

When I do this, I often experience God’s help. God revives and lifts up my discouraged and anxious soul through the promises of His Word.

In the same way, when my heart is shaken, I want to cry out to my soul like David:
“My soul, wait in silence for God alone” (Psalm 62:5), and go before Him in prayer.

Why should we look to God alone in silence? Because “my salvation” and “my hope” come from Him (vv. 1, 5). Because only the Lord is “my rock” and “my fortress” (vv. 2, 6).

Therefore, if we trust in God in silence and look to Him in silence, we will not be shaken (vv. 2, 6). Rather, we will gain strength (Isaiah 30:15).

Secondly and lastly, when our hearts are shaken, we must pour out our hearts.

Look at today’s passage, Psalm 62:8:
“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge. Selah.”

Many members in the church community are unable to share their struggles and hardships. This is often because they fear that if they open up, their concerns will become gossip within the church, and eventually they will be hurt by it. As a result, they are left to carry their burdens alone.

The church is supposed to be a community of sharing, but it seems we have not cultivated a culture where people can deeply share their worries and pains with one another. This is a truly unfortunate reality.

Yet even in such a situation, the reason we are not in despair is because we can go to the Lord and pour out our hearts before Him. That is why I personally love hymn #539 from the New Hymnal, titled “Take Your Burden to the Lord and Leave It There.” The chorus says:

“Go quietly to Jesus and pour out your heart;
The Lord who sees in secret will pour out great grace.”

How grateful we must be that we can go quietly to the Lord and pour out our hearts. To cry out in prayer and pour out our souls to the One who loves us most and knows us best is truly a privilege and a blessing.

The psalmist David urged the people of Israel to always trust in God and to pour out their hearts before Him because God is our refuge (v. 8). He was able to encourage them in this way because, in the midst of attacks from his enemies (vv. 3–4), he had himself trusted in God alone—his strength, his rock, and his refuge—and had poured out his heart before Him (v. 7).

When he did this, David heard God speak. And what he heard was twofold:
(1) “Power belongs to God” (v. 11), and
(2) “Unfailing love belongs to you, Lord” (v. 12).

When our hearts are shaken and we pour out our hearts to God in trust, we will experience both the power and the love of God. If we silently look to God alone and quietly trust in Him, we will receive the strength He gives (Isaiah 30:15), and we will experience His eternal love, which is better than life (Psalm 63:3).

Let me conclude this meditation:
We are like collapsing walls and tottering fences (Psalm 62:3, Contemporary Version). Satan and our enemies are constantly attacking us in unison (v. 3). They are lovers of lies, whose words and hearts do not match (v. 4), and through deception (v. 9), they aim to cause us to fall from our faith (v. 4).

They are certainly capable of shaking our hearts.
When that happens, we must silently trust in God (v. 8).
We must silently look only to God, who is our salvation and our hope (vv. 1, 5).
And we must pour out our hearts before Him (v. 8).

When we do so, God will uphold our hearts with His power and His lovingkindness (vv. 11–12).
Therefore, we will no longer be shaken (vv. 2, 6).