Psalms Reading – 1.30.2022
Psalm 31
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
as for me, I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors
and an object of dread to my closest friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!”
They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people!
The LORD preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
This is a passionate prayer for deliverance from overwhelming foes. It communicates utter despair as well as intense confidence in God’s ability to deliver. Jesus used words from this psalm as he hung on the cross in His great despair. It begins with David’s pleas for deliverance and affirmations of God as a place of refuge (vv. 1–8); then it descends to the depths of despair, for even David’s closest friends have abandoned him, and he is as forgotten as if he were dead (vv. 9–13). David reaffirms his trust in the Lord, asking God to deal with the wicked (vv. 14–18). It concludes with praise to the God whom David trusts to answer all his prayers (vv. 19–24).
David reveals the depths to which life may take us as he experienced severe anguish and distress. His prayer, turned to song, speaks of the full gamut of emotions one might have in such dire situations. Despair to trust. Self-pity to praise. Weakness to strength. Helplessness to hope. God can handle your rawest emotion, your truest expression, as it leads you to a renewed faith and hope that God is present and at work in the midst of your darkest circumstances.
Memory Verse:
Psalm 25:4-5, Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Question(s) to Consider:
How can David’s prayer be a model to help you express yourself to God in your circumstances?