11B*
A Call to Worship
Epiphany 3B [Ordinary 3B] 2015
Psalm 62: 5-12

Holy God, we come together, in the silence of your constant and reliable presence.
We come to be still in the silence of this sacred place, to learn who God is for us.

Sacred Presence, we come together in the silence; for you, O God, are our Security.
We come to be involved in the noise of this blest place, to worship our Lord and God.

Unshakable God, we come together in all the activities of worship, for you are our Rock,
our Fortress, and our Refuge at all times, for in God we find the real home of our heart.
We come to be still in the silence of this sacred place, to recognise and acknowledge
that God is indeed our hope, our peace, our joy – for all the changing times of our lives. Amen.

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Psalm 62: 5-12

5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honour come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.      Interlude

9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,
and the powerful are not what they appear to be.
If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air.
10 Don’t make your living by extortion or put your hope in stealing.
And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the centre of your life.
11 God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times:
Power, O God, belongs to you;
12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
Surely you repay all people according to what they have done.

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Prayers of Trust
Epiphany 3B [Ordinary 3B] 2015
Psalm 62: 5-12

God of all power and majesty, you have demonstrated to us so many times
and in so many ways the power and majesty of your Holy Being, and yet you
also abide with us to show us you are our Refuge in times of stress and anxiety.
Welcoming God, you invite us to pour out our hearts to God, and to share with
God all the joys and sorrows of life, and to seek guidance and help from our
Trustworthy God. In the quietness of our inner being, we pause to worship and
praise the God who, despite the majesty and power of God’s Being, is also so
many different expressions of gentle warmth, patient hope, and everlasting joy.

God of unfailing love and mercy, we come from the busyness of life with all its
conflicting demands, to take time out to listen for God’s words of gracious love
and eternal mercy towards struggling humanity. We place so much emphasis
on the acquiring of “things” and the tools of power over people and situations.
We pause, to think of the confidence we gain from God’s trusting love for us:
“My soul is at rest in God alone, my salvation comes from God. In God is my
safety and glory, the rock of my strength. Take refuge in God, all you people,
trust God at all times. God Almighty is with me, the Lord is my refuge....”¹ In
God alone, can we recognise the blessings of God’s of unfailing love and mercy.

God of our security and peace, we acknowledge that deep within us there is a
real need to feel safe and secure – and often we are not aware of why we feel
so insecure - yet the need is real! Holy God, we have often searched for security
in the wrong places and with the wrong people! We give thanks for the positive
message from the psalmist: “...Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my
hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not
be shaken...” Comforting God, we understand how easily the foundation our life
can be shaken, and we give thanks that we can trust in God’s security and peace.
God of unfailing love, you are our hope, our peace and our joy – in all of our living. Amen.

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A Personal Meditation
Epiphany 3B [Ordinary 3B] 2015
Psalm 62: 5-12

“Be still and know that I am God…” How many times have you sung the words
of this simple yet profound chorus at worship; at retreats or conferences; whilst
meditating; or even at funerals? I have no idea how many times I have sung those
words, yet they never seem to fail as people’s mood changes, and suddenly—
there is an awareness of God’s presence that almost physical, touchable, real!
There are many versions of words for this chorus, but the words printed in the
2011 “Methodist Hymn Book - Singing the Faith” produced by the British Church
includes these words in verses 2 and 3: “...I am the Lord who saves and heals”;
and “In you, O Lord, I put my trust.”² These words could indeed be based on this
psalm! We are indeed blessed to be encouraged to daily grow in our trust in God!



“The radical confession of God as refuge in Psalm 62 is a stunning minority report
for most history epochs in human history; few have followed the route of the psalm.
So the question for communities encountering the psalm becomes: In whom or what
do we place our trust?.... This psalm flies in the face of such militant consumerism
and in a poetic confession of faith – seldom followed by the majority in any society -
urges that it is God alone who brings hope and refuge in the face of the vicissitudes
of life... Only in trusting God is there hope....”³ Whilst we often blame our political and
community leaders for their aggressive approach to forward planning and their belief
that we will be better off with “new and “shiny” tools – but we know that is never true!
The psalmist wrote: “...I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you...”



David is reputed to have written this psalm around 980 BC as recorded in 2 Samuel
chapters 8-16, when David’s fortunes rose and fell; and he had military victories but
also personal challenges and failures. No doubt he was speaking from experience
when he warned: “...if your wealth increases, don’t make it the centre of your life. God
has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you;
unfailing love, O Lord, is yours...” In the quietness of your heart, remember these words,



1 From the Taizé Community (1978)
“My soul is at rest in God alone”
©Ateliers et Presses de Taizé Ltd
Used with Permission,
Word of Life International License No 2425T

2 “Be still and know that I am God”
Words by an anonymous author.

3 Text by Professor Walter Brueggemann
& William H Bellinger Junior
from “Psalms”
Psalm 62, page 275/6
© 2014 Cambridge University Press

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Acknowledgements:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

*Revised Indexing Scheme from 'Consultation on Church Union' (COCU).

I acknowledge and give heartfelt thanks for the theological inspiration available from the writings of
Professor Walter Brueggemann; and through the resources from the internet and “The Text this Week” (Textweek).

If the Prayers and/or Meditations are used in shared worship, please provide this acknowledgement:
© 2015 Joan Stott – ‘The Timeless Psalms’ RCL Psalms Year B. Used with permission.

jstott@netspace.net.au
www.thetimelesspsalms.net

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