Psalm 31

In You, O Lord, I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
² Bow down Your ear to me,
Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of refuge,
A fortress of defense to save me.

³ For You are my rock and my fortress;
Therefore, for Your name’s sake,
Lead me and guide me.
⁴ Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
⁵ Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

⁶ I have hated those who regard useless idols;
But I trust in the Lord.
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy,
For You have considered my trouble;
You have known my soul in adversities,
⁸ And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a wide place.

⁹ Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes, my soul and my body!
¹⁰ For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
¹¹ I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.
¹² I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
¹³ For I hear the slander of many;
Fear is on every side;
While they take counsel together against me,
They scheme to take away my life.

¹⁴ But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
¹⁶ Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
¹⁷ Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You;
Let the wicked be ashamed;
Let them be silent in the grave.
¹⁸ Let the lying lips be put to silence,
Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

¹⁹ Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
²⁰ You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
From the strife of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord,
For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
²² For I said in my haste,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried out to You.

²³ Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!
For the Lord preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.
²⁴ Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.

Bow down Your ear to me

I love the image of God lowering His ear to us. Sometimes when little kids want something but they’re afraid they might not get it, they speak very quietly. So, you have to lean your ear over to them. I imagine God doing the same thing with us, who want things but are sometimes timid because we are a little afraid to ask and don’t want anyone else to hear.

For You have considered my trouble

It’s important to remember that God sees what we do. He doesn’t give us more than He knows we can handle, that is, as long as we remember who’s really in charge. God knows what we’ve been through and He knows how we’ve reacted to it. Plus, He will deliver us when we need it.

I am like a broken vessel

How many of us have felt this way? Probably everyone. I know I have. A broken vessel is not only broken, it’s useless. No one cares about it. They throw it away. That’s how the psalmist feels here, an outcast, totally helpless and useless, something that everyone ignores and treats like garbage. But it doesn’t last forever…

My times are in Your hand

God is in charge of what happens and when it happens. Even when he is being mistreated by people, the psalmist has the faith to say, “You are my God.” That’s all it takes for God to take care of us.

Do not let me be ashamed…Let the wicked be ashamed

We’ve talked already about not being ashamed. I like how it is turned back on the wicked here. Not only do we not have reason to be ashamed of God, but those who don’t trust in Him are the ones who should be ashamed. Especially since our God has the power to change any situation we are in.

For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”

We are not so good with timing as God. We are impatient and hasty sometimes, and when God doesn’t give us instant gratification, we are likely to ask, “What have I done that God has turned His back on me?” That’s just not right, though. God is watching our troubles. He knows exactly what we are going through, but we have to wait on His timing, not our own.