Key Verse: “I am like a broken vessel.”(Psalm 31:12)
1-2 I run to you, God; I run for dear life.
Don’t let me down!
Take me seriously this time!
Get down on my level and listen,
and please—no procrastination!
Your granite cave a hiding place,
your high cliff aerie a place of safety.
Reflection: (Psalm 31:1)
David called on the Lord to deliver him. He wanted God to stop those who were unjustly causing trouble.
Therefore, David made his request based upon what he knew of God’s name, or character.
Because God is righteous and loving, He desires to deliver His purpose.
Reflection: (Psalm 31:1-6)
We say we have faith in God, but do we really trust Him?
David’s words, “I entrust my spirit into your hand,” conveys his complete trust in God.
Jesus used this phrase as He was dying on the cross – showing His absolute dependence on God the Father (Luke 23:46).
Stephen repeated these words as he was being stoned to death (Acts 7:59), confident that in death he was simply passing from God’s earthly care to God’s eternal care.
We should commit our possessions, our families, and our vocations to God.
But, first and foremost, we should commit ourselves completely to Him.
3-5 You’re my cave to hide in,
my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader,
be my true mountain guide.
Free me from hidden traps;
I want to hide in you.
I’ve put my life in your hands.
You won’t drop me,
you’ll never let me down.
6-13 I hate all this silly religion,
but you, God, I trust.
I’m leaping and singing in the circle of your love;
you saw my pain,
you disarmed my tormentors,
You didn’t leave me in their clutches
but gave me room to breathe.
Be kind to me, God—
I’m in deep, deep trouble again.
I’ve cried my eyes out;
I feel hollow inside.
My life leaks away, groan by groan;
my years fade out in sighs.
My troubles have worn me out,
turned my bones to powder.
To my enemies I’m a monster;
I’m ridiculed by the neighbors.
My friends are horrified;
they cross the street to avoid me.
They want to blot me from memory,
forget me like a corpse in a grave,
discard me like a broken dish in the trash.
The street-talk gossip has me
“criminally insane”!
Behind locked doors they plot
how to ruin me for good.
Reflection: (Psalm 31:6)
Why did David suddenly bring up the subject of idol worship?
He wanted to contrast his total devotion to God with the diluted worship offered by many Israelites.
Pagan religious rituals were never completely banished from Israel to Judah, despite the efforts of David and a few other kings.
Obviously a person who clung to idols could not commit his spirit into God’s hands.
When we put today’s idols (wealth, material possessions, success) first in our lives, we cannot expect God’s Spirit to guide us.
God is our highest authority and requires our first allegiance.
Reflection: (Psalm 31:9-13)
In describing his feeling, David wrote of the helplessness and hopelessness everyone feels when hated or rejected.
But adversity is easier to accept when we recognize our true relationship with the sovereign God (Psalm 31:14-18).
Although our enemies may seem to have the upper hand, they are ultimately the helpless and hopeless ones.
Those who know God will be victorious in the end (Psalm 31:23).
We can have courage today because God will preserve us.
14-18 Desperate, I throw myself on you:
you are my God!
Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,
safe from the hands out to get me.
Warm me, your servant, with a smile;
save me because you love me.
Don’t embarrass me by not showing up;
I’ve given you plenty of notice.
Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,
leave them stupidly shaking their heads
as they drift down to hell.
Gag those loudmouthed liars
who heckle me, your follower,
with jeers and catcalls.
Reflection: (Psalm 31:14-15)
In saying, “My future is in your hands,” David was expressing his belief that all of life’s circumstances are under God’s control.
Knowing that God loves and cares for us enables us to keep steady in our faith regardless of our circumstances.
It keeps us from sinning foolishly by taking matters into our own hands or resenting God’s timetable.
19-22 What a stack of blessing you have piled up
for those who worship you,
Ready and waiting for all who run to you
to escape an unkind world.
You hide them safely away
from the opposition.
As you slam the door on those oily, mocking faces,
you silence the poisonous gossip.
Blessed God!
His love is the wonder of the world.
Trapped by a siege, I panicked.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” I said.
But you heard me say it,
you heard and listened.
23 Love God, all you saints;
God takes care of all who stay close to him,
But he pays back in full
those arrogant enough to go it alone.
24 Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up.
Expect God to get here soon.