Daily Devotional • September 6
Psalm 31
1 In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me;
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
6 You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken notice of my adversities
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones waste away.
11 I 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.
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many—
terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
14 But 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 persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
17 Do 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.
18 Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.
19 O 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!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.
22 I 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.
23 Love the Lord, all you his saints.
The Lord preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
Meditation
Psalm 31 contains echoes of the Book of Job. The psalmist, David, is suffering deeply — in body, mind, spirit and relationship. David knows that he is not abandoned, however, which draws him deeper into relationship with God. David soothes himself with words and images that remind him of God’s sovereignty and loving protection: my refuge, my rock, my fortress, my rescue, my deliverance, my shelter, my safety. You are my God.
“Into your hand I commit my spirit” — words that we recognize as Jesus’ last words from the cross — are not spoken here by David as a dying release of his soul, but as a surrender of his whole being, his entire life, into God’s hands. “My times are in your hand” again imagines a physical surrender into God’s embrace. These verses remind me of a vision received by Julian of Norwich, an English anchoress of the Middle Ages, of a hazelnut cradled in the palm of God’s hand. The hazelnut, which is all of Creation, is so small and fragile that it could suddenly sink into nothingness, if not for the safety of God’s steadfast love and protection. We seek refuge in the little things of this world, Julian cautions, but God alone is the source of true rest.
Placing our times into God’s hand means being strong and taking courage as we wait for the Lord, because God’s timing often differs from our own. David confesses that, in his impatience, his trust in God has sometimes wavered. But even in his moments of doubt, David continues to talk to God; he stays in relationship and has seen that God remains faithful through it all. Blessed be the Lord!
Monica Coakley, a graduate of Nashotah House Theological Seminary, provides pastoral care to men on Tennessee’s death row. She lives with her family on a small farm and hoards books and yarn.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Okigwe – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Houston