 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! 2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! 3 For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me; 4 you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
6 I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord. 7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, 8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. 9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. 10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. 11 Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. 12 I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. 13 For I hear the whispering of many— terror on every side!-- as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 16 Make your face shine on your servant, save me in your steadfast love! 17 O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. 18 Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. 19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind! 20 In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men; you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. 21 Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. 22 I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help. 23 Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. 24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! Meditation What comes from your mouth when you are stressed? The other day we had a pet induced stressful situation and my language was not love. The history of the use of this Psalm offers language for stressful seasons. Psalm 31 is unique in that the Psalmist makes the journey from struggle to security twice, verses 1-8 and 9-24. David’s cycle of despair to the discovery of deliverance in the Lord’s covenant care invites the worshipper to identify on a personal level. When we do this God’s word gives us language for stressful seasons. Jonah used this in his prayer from the belly of the fish (Jonah 2), Jeremiah repeated the phrase, “terror on every side” as a running theme throughout his writings (Jeremiah 6:25; Lamentations 2:22), the author of Psalm 71 uses this Psalm to fuel their own journey (maybe David himself in his old age), and Jesus uses the language of the Psalm in his deepest moment of agony on the cross (Luke 23:46). God’s grace gives His people language for life in this fallen world. We are invited to “store up His word in our hearts” (Psalm 119:11) so we have language for life during seasons of struggle and stress. When the word of Christ dwells richly in our hearts (Colossians 3:16) we will have footing for faith and a hold for hope, secure in grace to speak God’s word. More and more grace will grip our hearts and the language of love will flow from our lips. Richly Dwelling -Jesus teaches the words of our mouth are an overflow of our heart (Luke 6:45). What is hidden in your heart that has been revealed during seasons of struggle and anxiety? -If you were to mine a truth from Psalm 31 to hide in your heart which would it be? I would use verse 3. -Meditate on God’s word. Allow the Word to sink deeply into your heart, giving you a hold for hope later on. Pray the Word. Write the Word. Allow the Word to richly dwell in you. Key Verse 3 For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me; Comments are closed.
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