14But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
15My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
17Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,
for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.
19O how abundant is your goodness
that you have laid up for those who fear you,
and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of everyone!
20In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious tongues.
21Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.
22I had said in my alarm,
‘I am driven far from your sight.’
But you heard my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.
23Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
In the Church of God in Christ, they greet one another not by name, but by calling everyone saints. All members of the body of Christ have the same identity. That denomination chooses to use the language of the faith that affirms that. In what ways do we refrain from seeing the Child of God that is our neighbor? How many more times do we rather look at another person as "other."
We are all linked through Christ's love for us all. However, looking at the list of sins and transgressions in this psalm, we have that in common too. I tend to run on a short fuse and I want to see the world the way I want to see it. I don't have much time for people who differ in my opinions. As Paul says, "What a wretched man I am." Yet there is hope for us all yet.
One thing that is unique to this psalm is the fact that the words repeat. "Refuge" appears in verse 1 and 19. "Shame" in verse 1 and 17. "Save me" in verse 2 and 16. "Hand" in verses 5, 8, and 15. "Steadfast love" in verses 7, 16, 21. As you pray this psalm, notice the times in which the psalm is used in one sense as a prayer, and see if the prayer has been accomplished. Ask for, and receive God's gracious forgiveness and presence in your life.
Pray Psalm 31, in its entirety, found here.
