Psalm 61

Past, present and future.

David calls upon the God who has been his strong tower and refuge in the past to be his present help, and looks to the future, and the eternal reign of Christ.

In verse 2 he calls to God 'from the end of the earth.' He is far from home, it seems.  Perhaps a military conquest.       Other Psalms speak of the wicked as feeling as if God doesn't see or hear them, so they are comfortable with their evil ways.  But the upright know that He sees and hears all.....and indeed we cannot even hide from Him in the deepest part of the sea.  David might be far from home, but he knows that God is still there, still the same refuge and strong tower.   When his heart is 'faint', or 'overwhelmed' as one translation reads, he knows where to run for help.
God's scope of knowledge is not limited by time or space.  Wherever we are, no matter how weak our cry....He sees and hears, and will deliver.

"Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I".....speaks to me of dependence on God.  He is a sure thing that cannot be moved.  He provides shelter, and an inheritance, (or unlimited resources per the NKJV note) for His own.  He promise is not limited by time and space either......it is everlasting.

Verses 6-8 appear to carry a messianic theme, perhaps?   First it is a prayer for David himself, as the king, to be a strong, good king who will reign for a long time.  But the language speaks of eternity too...."many generations",    "forever".  

Verse 8 struck me in a very interesting way with the above (eternity) in mind.  In the ESV, it reads, "So I will ever sing praises to your name as I perform my vows day after day."   Immediately my mind got stuck on the 'day after day' part and I thought of the monotony that seems to cripple my worship at times.   Day after day, I do the same thing, pray the same prayers it seems, do the work that God has called me to.  And sometimes,it seems as if I am spinning my wheels, and going nowhere.  It all seems to be for naught, though I know better.  It becomes hard to do the things I know to do (pray, serve others, prepare for and attend worship), but the joy is lacking.There can be many reasons for this.....but I need to look to David's example here.  He's learned to focus instead on the truth that he knows..... If  this is what he has in mind, he's learned to focus on the eternal, not the present. " Day after day" is so finite.....while eternity is, well, not.   God's kingdom expands beyond the realm of the finite that I know and that limits me in every way.  And with that in mind, I can do what I need to do, day in and day out, with joy in my heart and praises on my tongue for all that God has done.

I'll also note that the NKJV reads this way, "......that I may daily perform my vows."  Read this way, my mind goes to commitment......a steadfast, unwavering faithfulness to serve the Lord with gladness