This Psalm has some meaning for me, because as I was riding a horse, he taught me the meaning of these verses.
Most of the Psalms were written by David, who was a man of war. I imagine he was in the heat of battle and it wasn't looking favorable for David. Battels were fought in valleys in those days. The two opposing armies would stand on the hill top of each side and then run into the valley below for battle. David was looking to the hills for help, man's help; that is verse 1. In verse 2 David suddenly remembers where his help truly comes from; it comes from the Lord.
I was riding this young horse we had who had a terrible habit of walking sideways towards another horse before he would ever walk forward. Also, when working on bending and softness, I could never get his eye. He was always looking off to where the herd was. That's when it hit me, the meaning of these verses.
This little horse would never look to the rider for his help, never look to me for the release. He was always looking off to the other horses. This is what David realized he was doing, he wasn't looking to the Lord, he was looking to man for help. Working with that little horse could be very frustrating because he would never truly come to you. Sure he would do the motion, but not because he was truly working for his rider, just to get a brief rest. I can only imagine how frustrated the Lord gets with us when we follow His commands only out of motion, and not with our whole heart.
The Lord has commanded us to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. We ask the same of the horse. When we love the Lord as He commands us we can face the trials of this world. When our horses are 100% focused on us they can face the trials of this world in much of the same way. Less spook, no fret of where their friends are, just a calm walk down the trail, on the range, or in the show pen. This is what the Lord wants for us too, peace in all circumstances.