1In you, O LORD, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
6You hate; those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
7I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
9Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
10For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones waste away.
11I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horror; to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
12I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13For I hear the whispering of many—
terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
How many of us have ever been up close, in the wild, to an animal like a lion? We have seen them in the zoo, we have read about them in books, perhaps we have seen documentaries about these animals. There are several other things that you could place in the spot of “lions.” We know something about things we have never experienced first hand.
The psalmist knows what he is up against, but he also know God’s faithful. He may not be in the throws of experiencing God’s refuge and strength. However, he know what it is like through past experiences. He knows what it is like to be assailed by enemies. He knows that God has been faithful to him and to his ancestors. That faithfulness is what he prays for.
Most of the time, when we ask God for something, we don’t know what it will look like. But we do know that God has been faithful before and will be faithful again. That is what leads us into prayer.
Do you remember Jesus’ last words on the cross in Luke? Read verse five of this Psalm again.
“Into your hand I commit my spirit.”
Christ faced the ultimate unknown for all of us…death. Yet he knew of God’s faithfulness better than anyone else. What will be our prayer when we face uncertainty? Despair, or placing our trust in God?
Pray Psalm 31, verses 1-13.
