Psalm 31

1 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.

3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore, for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.

5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities.

8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

9 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength fails because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.

12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

14 But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.

15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.

17 Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed and let them be silent in the grave.

18 Let the lying lips be put to silence, which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

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!

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.

21 Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.

22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless, thou heard the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

23 O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully rewards the proud doer.

24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. (KJV)

Reading this psalm, I can see this as a psalm that the Lord would prayer, since it reflects his life on this earth.   I King 1:29 is David’s testimony to this “And the king swore, and said, as Jehovah lives, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, verily as I swore unto thee by Jehovah, the God of Israel, saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; verily so will I do this day.  David knew that his seed would reign after him as promised by God; however, his son Absalom try to take the kingdom from him by the use of force.  Adonijah try to take the kingdom when David was well stricken in years by using politics to arrange a collation that would make him king.  It is interesting that David did not interfere with Adonijah setting himself up as King.  I Kings 1:6 “His father (David) had never interfered with him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom”.  However, when informed of what was happening, he charged Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada to set up Solomon as king.  As I study David’s life, I see a pattern of how David waited on the Lord to make major decisions.  His indecision is sometimes viewed as not taking a stand, however the more I study David’s life I can see how this was his waiting on God to intervene. 

As I try to apply this principle of waiting in my own life over the past several years, I realized how strong my personal belief must be in God’s ability to take care of everything in our life.  What then is the role I take in making those major decisions in my life?

  Keys from this chapter:

• I have taken refuge in the Lord
• I let God lead and guide me
• Into God’s hands I commit my spirit
• I hate those who cling to worthless idols
• I trust in the LORD
• I will be glad and rejoice in your love
• I trust in the Lord
• I have cried out to the Lord
• I called to the Lord for help
• I will be strong and take heart
• I hope in the LORD
• And most important, I will leave the judgment of the wicked, proud and those who cling to worthless idols to the Lord.

So sometimes my waiting on the Lord may be viewed by others as indecisiveness, a weakness or not taking a stand on an issue, but like David I have learned to wait upon the Lord.

Studying this psalm, I look to it as a prayer that Christ would prayer during his ministry here on earth.  Verse eight “You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place” reminds me of the one enemy that all mankind faces and that is death.  As I studied this psalm this morning, I am reminded that Christ has conquered death.  In I Corinthians 15 Paul discuss the resurrection and how this is the heart of the gospel.  Without the resurrection there is not gospel.  As believers we must realize that the battles we face and the enemies we face are dominions, authorities, and powers in the heavenly realm.  The last enemy to be destroyed is death itself.  So, as we face the issues in life itself remember that the real battles are spiritual and not of things on this earth.  Do not let the events of today and our daily concerns over what we should eat wear or what other activities we should do guide your conversion.  Turn your eyes to Christ who set the example for all believers by depending on the Father to meet all his needs.  Study the gospels and learn of him, and your walk on this earth will be different.