'Sharing Christ's love in deed and truth.' Apostle John
Albany Presbyterian Church
Albany Presbyterian Church
Psalm 31 is a Psalm of confidence that reveals how David found inner strength flowing from his faith in God. The key principle it teaches is this: it was through prayer that David’s faith was built and his inner strength to face the trials was secured. We’ve already seen the first three key truths in the first devotionals: David pinpointed his prayers by stating the problem clearly in prayer with The Lord. V. 1 “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.” There were enemies after David so he asked The Lord to act according to God’s righteousness. The second truth involves personalizing your prayers. We saw in VV. 2-5 how David requested God to show His greatness and truth in David’s personal experiences right then. In other words, David believed God was His rock but he asks The Lord to make that even more real in what he was facing. This was key to his faith increasing and it happens in prayer! V. 2 “Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.” Last week’s devotional focused on the third truth about growing in strength through prayer and faith – pouring out our hearts in prayer. David trusted The Lord with all his struggles and his whole soul and this is how through prayer David’s faith increases! VV. 7-8 revealed three essential ways God strengthened David. David’s heart – “For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities.” David’s help – 8 “And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy.” David’s hope – “You have set my feet in a wide place.” We left last devotion with the sense of security David had: God had brought him out to this wide place. The picture is like he had been walking a tightrope and now he had come to the other side. What we notice in V. 9 is that though David has this sense of peace through prayer and faith his circumstances have not really changed. Here like many of the psalms and the Bible as a whole David takes the “long view.” Habakkuk came to the same conclusion in chapter 3 – “Though the flock may be cut off from the fold - and there be no herd in the stalls—18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” The principle in prayer here is that faith grows through hope as we lock in on the future through prayer. 1 Peter 1:13 reminds us: “Be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ!” The application here can be summarized as pursuing God’s grace to the end through prayer. The first key we see about pursuing GOD’s grace is to refocus on the end. V. 9 “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body.” David sings for joy because through faith in prayer he has been strengthened and in that faith he can look with hope which will also strengthen him. Hebrews 12 tells us: “for the joy set before Jesus He endured the cross.”
An essential part of our strength in prayer comes through waiting on The Lord – looking to the blessings God has promises in the future to those who trust in Him. For those outside of Christ this is the best it gets but for those in Christ this is the worst it will get. God has set our feet on a wide space because we’re on the road that is narrow but leads to eternal life. (Matthew 7:13-14) This is the best road to be on! The second truth we see here is the need to release our tears. 10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says we don’t grieve like those without hope but it never says we don’t grieve. It is a lie especially that men fall into that we’re to hold our emotions in. This is very realistic prayer! The fact is the problem David has been struggling with has brought him to tears. Yes he believes God has delivered him and will complete the job but it has been painful and the residual effects continue. Trusting God doesn’t mean we don’t feel pain and express this with tears at times. Jesus trusted the Father perfectly but wept at his friend Lazarus’ tomb. Hebrews 4:14-16 reminds believers that we have a high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses one who has been tempted in every way as we are and yet never sinned. This verse then calls us to come boldly to God’s throne of grace and find mercy and help in your time of need! David pursues God’s grace with hope in this time but he needs God’s help to deal with his pain. The result is David continually finds The Lord meeting him in his trials as he gains confidence for the journey. The third key here about pursuing God’s grace to the end so we grow through prayer in faith is found in VV. 10-13. The application involves reminding God of just how great our need really is. This reminds me of the army unit that sent word to the commander of their position. The sergeant told him: “We have the enemy coming in from the east – west – south and north. Then after a pause he told the commander: “But sir, we have them exactly where we want them!” Many times we feel this way as Christians in this world but God’s Word reminds us He is with us and because this is true who can stand against us? David explains the pain he feels and moves then to the real cause of the pain in V. 13. What was the cause? V. 13 “ For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life. David feels he is begin attacked on all sides and is unsure of who he can trust. Enemies are plotting against him as they did when his own son Absalom did when trying to take the throne. He feels betrayed even by his closest friends because as the danger in his life got worse even his closest friends seem to turn their backs on him. It was like the ripple effect of tossing a rock in a pond. VV. 11-12 show this - 11 I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. 12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind.” David is broken like a vessel because of the rejection he is feeling in this time. We all know what it’s like to have our friendships tested. When things are going well people stick with us but you learn who your true friends really are when the going gets tough.
As the Proverb says “a true friend is born for adversity!”(Prov. 17:17) David is essentially crying out God - I’ve drawn near to you asking you to be my strength, You’ve shown me your covenant love and now I want you to know how much I need you in this time. You may be all I have right now but I know You’re with me! Jesus Christ understands what it’s like to have people follow Him for the food but when He wants to give them the bread of life (Himself) those same people turn from Him! Even His closest men ran from him and denied Him when the danger of the Cross came! What we must remember is that while it’s good to have strong friends our greatest friend is the One who laid down His life for us(John 15:13) Jesus understands when we cry out for grace and mercy because He has been there and the pressure He experienced as a human being is greater than anything we will ever feel. Which bridge feels the greatest pressure? The one that withstands the earthquake and then crumbles or the one that withstands the pressure of a Richter scale 10 earthquake but never breaks? Jesus faced millions on the Richter scale of temptation but He never caved in! David felt he was going to collapse under this pressure and that’s why he reminds The Lord of his need. Why? Because God promises to help His true people in our time of need! He will give grace and strengthen our faith in the process! The final truth we see about pursuing grace to the end is the need to relinquish control to the Lord. This is not a mere “letting go and letting God” but a statement of confidence in God in the particular times David is facing. We see it in V. 14 “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. 16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant.” David is not shrugging his shoulders like a surfer saying: “Whatever mate” – “My times are in Your hand.” This is not a “whatever will be will be” mindset. This is NOT fatalism but faith. This is David saying – it’s my relationship with You Lord that matters most – You are my God and I trust in you. The point is that even in pursuing God’s grace and help he is recalling that God is in control and that the help he seeks will come in God’s time and God’s way and so he waits in hope! “David trusts God to do things in His own timing. “Lord, rescue me when you know the time is best.” We all would like the help our way and in our time but we trust You! Even If I don’t get the answer in this life I trust You – my times are in Your hands! Do we believe that our times are in His loving and all-powerful hands?
In Him
Pastor Ben