Reflections On HopeSýnishorn

We live in a dangerous world filled with moral evil. It is a world that suffers from wars, nasty talk, and wicked people. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we all face enemies in life and it is to be expected when there is sin in the world.

There are different ways that people respond to the enemies in their lives. Some choose to strike back with ‘an eye for an eye’ mentality. Some choose to suffer in silence and become bitter. But there is only one refuge worth turning to in this kind of situation.

In Psalm 31, the psalmist David tells us who we should have for our refuge. In this Psalm, David mentioned that he sought refuge in God (v. 1), requested refuge from God (v. 2) and recognised that God was his refuge (v. 4). God was the refuge for David from the enemies that he faced, and he should be our refuge as well.

Before you think that those whom David faced were not as difficult as those you face, consider how he described what he was going through: “I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within. I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbours—even my friends are afraid to come near me. When they see me on the street, they run the other way.” (Psalm 31:10-11 NLT).

When we face enemies in our lives, we need to seek refuge in God like David did (v.1). We ought to have our trust in him (v. 14). We also need to pray to him. How? We can start by praising him for His faithful love, His knowledge of our situation, and His protection over us (vv. 7-8, 19-21). We can then share what we go through with him (vv. 9-13). Lastly, we can bring our requests to him regarding the situation (vv. 15-18).

David ended his Psalm with a word of encouragement to God’s faithful ones: “Love the Lord, all his faithful ones. The Lord protects the loyal, but fully repays the arrogant. Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.” (Psalm 31:23-24 CSB). This ought to be our response and comfort knowing that God is our hope for deliverance and refuge from our enemies.