A Psalm 68 Meditation for Anxious, Guarded, and Weary Hearts

I took this photo while my daughter and I were in London this past summer, standing beneath Big Ben. It’s one of those places that’s supposed to feel imposing—big, historic, powerful. But instead of feeling small or rushed, I remember feeling calm and grounded. That caught my attention, because for many of us, power hasn’t felt calm at all. It’s often felt unpredictable or overwhelming. That contrast stayed with me, and it’s what led me back to Psalm 68—a psalm that offers a very different picture of strength than the one most of us learned.

Some questions don’t come from doubt.
They come from lived experience.

Is God strong enough to protect me—and gentle enough to trust?

That question often rises in people who have known power as something sharp instead of steady. Authority that was loud instead of safe. Strength that required shrinking, pleasing, or bracing.

Psalm 68 doesn’t rush to answer that question.
It invites us to watch God move.

And in watching, something in us begins to loosen.

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When God Arises, What Moves in You?

Psalm 68 opens with a startling image: God arises.

Not hurrying.
Not reacting.
Not escalating.

Just… standing.

Like a judge entering the room—not with a gavel slammed in anger, but with a presence that immediately quiets the noise.

Like a lighthouse turning on—not chasing the storm, but outshining it.

Reflection pause:

When you imagine God standing—what happens inside you?

Do you feel steadied… or alert?
Do you lean in… or brace?

Our bodies often answer before our theology does.

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Power That Knows Where to Go

As the psalm unfolds, God’s strength reveals its direction.

It moves toward:

• the fatherless
• the widow
• the lonely

This is not power showing off.
This is power locating need.

Imagine a strong hand—not clenched, not raised, but open.
A presence that doesn’t demand eye contact, explanation, or performance—just nearness.

Reflection pause:

When you needed help most in your life, did power come close—or pull away?

What did strength look like in that season?

Psalm 68 quietly teaches us that secure authority doesn’t hover over vulnerability—it covers it.

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The God Who Walks at Your Pace

One of the most overlooked movements in Psalm 68 is that God doesn’t rush His people through the wilderness.

He travels.

Picture a parent walking beside a tired child—not dragging them forward, not carrying them every step, but matching their pace. Adjusting stride. Pausing when needed.

This is not a God waiting at the finish line with crossed arms.

This is a God who says, “I’ll stay with you while you’re still figuring this out.”

Reflection pause:

Where in your life are you tempted to believe God has gone quiet simply because nothing has resolved yet?

What if presence—not progress—is what this season is asking of you?

Provision on the way is still provision.

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Strength That Doesn’t Leave

At the center of Psalm 68, God wins.
Oppression breaks.
Order is restored.

And then—unexpectedly—He dwells.

Not at a distance.
Not behind walls.
Not above His people.

With them.

Imagine someone who finally has the upper hand choosing not to leave—but to sit down beside you.

This confronts a deep belief many of us carry:
Once I’m strong, I won’t need connection anymore.

Psalm 68 gently corrects that:
Strength isn’t for separation. It’s for closeness.

Reflection pause:

When you feel more capable, do you tend to pull away or stay connected?

What if strength was never meant to replace dependence—but to make relationship safer?

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Why Justice Can Feel Like Relief

Psalm 68 doesn’t shy away from justice.

God rescues—and God confronts.

For those who have been harmed, this matters more than we often admit.

Imagine a home with no locks, no boundaries, no intervention.
That isn’t love—it’s exposure.

God’s justice isn’t harshness.
It’s protection with clarity.

Reflection pause:

When you feel more capable, do you tend to pull away or stay connected?

What if strength was never meant to replace dependence—but to make relationship safer?

A God who never confronts harm cannot truly be trusted by the wounded.

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Secure Authority Heals Systems

Psalm 68 doesn’t just reveal who God is—it shows us what healthy authority looks like everywhere else.

In families.
In leadership.
In our own inner dialogue.

When power feels unsafe, people adapt:

• controlling to survive
• withdrawing to stay invisible
• blaming to regain footing

These aren’t moral failures.
They’re nervous systems trying to protect themselves.

Psalm 68 gives us a different template:

• strength that protects
• leadership that creates safety
• presence that calms chaos

Reflection pause:

When stress rises, where do you tend to go—control, withdrawal, or reaction?

What do you think your heart is actually longing for in those moments?

Secure leadership—God’s and ours—creates room to breathe.

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From Carrying Everything to Being Carried

Psalm 68 ends not with instruction, but with release.

God gives strength.
He doesn’t extract it.
He doesn’t demand it.

Picture setting down a heavy bag you didn’t realize you were still holding.

Reflection pause:

What have you been carrying that God never asked you to hold alone?

What would it feel like to receive strength today instead of producing it?

Praise often rises not when everything is fixed—but when we realize we’re not alone.

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A Different Story to Live Inside

If authority has felt unsafe…
If power has wounded rather than protected…
If your body learned to brace long before you learned to pray…

Psalm 68 offers a different story.

A God who rises—not to crush—but to cover.
A God who reigns—not to dominate—but to dwell.
A God whose strength is not a threat—but a refuge.

You were never designed to live on high alert.

You were designed for safety.

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A Final Word of Encouragement 🤍

If something in you softened as you read this…
If a phrase lingered…
If you felt seen rather than instructed…

That matters.

You don’t need to rush to “do” anything with it.

Sometimes the most faithful response is simply to stay present—to let God’s character settle into places where fear, bracing, or control once lived.

If you’d like to go deeper, I invite you to listen to the accompanying podcast episode:

🎧 Episode 95: Is God Strong Enough to Protect Me—and Gentle Enough to Trust?
You can listen by clicking the player right here on this page, where we walk slowly through Psalm 68 with space for reflection, nervous-system awareness, and healing truth.

If this message resonates and you’re longing for deeper, embodied healing—not just insight—I’d also love to invite you to two next steps:

Join me for the February Renew & Restore Women’s Healing Retreat
This retreat is for women who are ready to stop bracing, slow down, and experience emotional and spiritual healing in a safe, Spirit-led space. We’ll explore themes like secure attachment, trauma, identity, and God’s restoring presence—together, in community.

Explore the Happy Kid Toolkit
Whether you’re a parent, a leader, or simply someone wanting to understand your own patterns, the Happy Kid Toolkit offers practical, compassionate tools to help you move from reaction to regulation, from self-protection to secure leadership—rooted in biblical truth and emotional wisdom.

You don’t need to fix yourself before coming closer to God.
You don’t need to earn rest.
And you don’t need to walk this alone.

God is strong.
And He is gentle.
And He is with you—right here.

Grace and peace,