Receiving an unexpected prognosis or bad news can be very unsettling. Suddenly all sense of normalcy goes out the window, plans are put on hold, and life becomes about managing one day at a time. This can happen for all sorts of reasons, and we can have feelings of disorientation, confusion, and uncertainty.

Those experiences are a normal part of dealing with a crisis. So why does the psalmist say, “I will never be shaken”? Does that mean he never felt bewildered by life’s circumstances?

No. We see clearly that the psalmist feels like a “leaning wall” and a “tottering fence.” He feels hurt and vulnerable, and yet he repeats that his rest and hope are in God. We don’t have to cover up our feelings when we’re going through tough times; we can be honest about feeling like a tottering fence and yet somehow not be shaken.

The song of Psalm 62 gives us a beautiful invitation: “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” In a mys­terious way, being vulnerable and pouring out our hearts opens us up to receive the rock-solid foundation that God’s loving character provides us. We may not be able to control what happens in our lives, but we always have the invitation to rely fully on God. No matter what happens, even if we feel as if we could be toppled, we will not be shaken.