Why read Psalm 61?
Read Psalm 61 to quiet your heart and release an excessive reliance on power or wealth. God is described as rock and salvation, and those who pray are invited to pour out their hearts before Him.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
“Shall my soul not submit to God...” — this is how Psalm 61 begins, a work of 11 verses from the 8th Kathisma. The Psalter is read in the Orthodox Church at every service, and this psalm has its place in the order of prayer.
The text of Psalm 61
1. Shall my soul not submit to God? For my salvation is from Him;
2. For He is my God, my Saviour and my Support; I shall no longer be shaken.
3. How long do you rise against a man? You all seek to cast him down, regarding him as a leaning wall and a fallen fence!
4. They took counsel to cast down my honour, they ran with falsehood; with their mouths they blessed me and with their hearts they cursed me.
5. But submit to God, my soul, for my patience comes from Him;
6. For He is my God and my Saviour, my Support; I shall not be moved.
7. In God are my salvation and my glory; God is my help, and my hope is in God.
8. Hope in Him, the whole assembly of the people; pour out your hearts before Him, for He is our help.
9. But the sons of men are vanity, the sons of men are liars; in the balance, all together they are vanity.
10. Do not hope in injustice or desire plunder; if wealth flows in, do not set your heart on it.
11. Once God spoke; these two things I heard: that power belongs to God and mercy is Yours, Lord; for You will repay each according to his deeds.
When Psalm 61 is read
- It belongs to the 8th Kathisma and is recited in personal prayer, especially for peace and understanding.
- At the end of each psalm, tradition adds: «Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.».
Adjacent psalms
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
