A Road Map for Life | Beginning With GodSample

THREE PEOPLE IN TROUBLE (Psalm 31)

Let me begin this segment with an apology and an assignment.

Psalm 31 is 24 verses long and is one of the most rich, profound psalms you will ever study. There is no way we can cover it in this space, so my assignment is for you to read and meditate on it by yourself today. I promise you will be rewarded for it by all that God has to say in this psalm.

Psalm 31 was written by David, perhaps while on the run but definitely while being attacked. Some have surmised that he wrote it when Absalom rebelled and many people were criticizing him; you can certainly get that tone from this passage.

We do not know the tune to which all of these psalms were sung, but we know the tone. Some are celebratory, while others are reflective. The tone of Psalm 31 is mournful. We can see this in verses 1-5.

“In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.”

The entire psalm is woven together. You go back and forth from leaning on the Lord to rehearsing those who are against Him.

You will recall that in Psalm 30, David had just dedicated his own house to God. Here, he declared that God would have to be his house, “an house of defense to save me.” That is powerful.

Verse 20: “Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.”

What was he saying? No physical or material thing you have can hide you from your critics, circumstances, or spiritual attack. You must hide in God. Make your home in the Lord, and then you can be at home anywhere, even when enemies come against you.

Three people stand out in Psalm 31:

1. David

These verses reflect the cry of a sensitive soul, such as would be found in a man after God’s own heart. A sensitive heart feels deeply — the mountains and the valleys, the positive and the negative. David grieved and groaned in this passage.

Verses 11-12: “I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.”

When you get to where David was, feeling as though you are broken and everyone has forsaken you, do exactly what David did. Bring it to God.

The psalms help us usher every experience and emotion of life into His presence. It is the only place where we can find clarity and simplicity. It is one thing to have a complaint and tell everyone else about it; it is another to turn that complaint into prayer. Talk to Someone who can do something about it.

2. Jesus.

Jesus is on every page of Scripture, but this is one of those psalms that is very messianic in nature.

The phrase “Into thine hand I commit my spirit” in verse 5 is also verbatim the cry of Christ from the cross. I think this is a beautiful object lesson for all of us. When you feel like everything is out of hand, put yourself in God’s hand. The time when everything is spinning out of control is the very moment to put your circumstances and your emotions in the nail-pierced hands of Jesus Christ. Do exactly what the Lord Jesus did in committing Himself to His Heavenly Father.

The rest of verse 5 states, “Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” The very God who has kept you to this point will continue to do so. I love how in the New Testament we are taught by Jesus that when we come to Him, we are placed in His hand and then He is placed in the Father’s hand. He said in John 10:29, “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” That is a beautiful parallel to Psalm 31.

The thought is continued in verse 15: “My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.” The seasons of your life are all in God’s hands. All of them. With that in mind, commit yourself anew to a loving Heavenly Father and the knowledge that nothing in your life is ever out of His control. You are in His hands.

3. Me.

We all should see ourselves in scripture, using the Word of God as a mirror. What can you do when you come to your wit’s end, hearing slander on every side? When everyone is against you and nothing seems to be working out correctly, do exactly what Psalm 31 says.

- Verse 14: “But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.” Go back to what you know for sure. Acknowledge that your faith is in God, who has never failed or forgotten you and will not start doing it today.

- Verse 16: “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.” Pray specifically not just for a change in circumstances, but that you will have the presence of God. If you live in His presence, you can get through anything.

- Verse 19: “Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!” Begin to enjoy and rehearse the goodness of God. That will give you strength to keep pressing on.

- Verse 23: “O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.” Just love the Lord today. You may not love your circumstances or what people are doing to you, but love Jesus and He will give you the grace to get through.

There is no better way to close this study than with the exact words that end this psalm. “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”