God Speaks
31 For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 O Lord, I have come to you for protection;
don’t let me be disgraced.
Save me, for you do what is right.
2 Turn your ear to listen to me;
rescue me quickly.
Be my rock of protection,
a fortress where I will be safe.
3 You are my rock and my fortress.
For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger.
4 Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me,
for I find protection in you alone.
5 I entrust my spirit into your hand.
Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.
6 I hate those who worship worthless idols.
I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love,
for you have seen my troubles,
and you care about the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to my enemies
but have set me in a safe place.
9 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress.
Tears blur my eyes.
My body and soul are withering away.
10 I am dying from grief;
my years are shortened by sadness.
Sin has drained my strength;
I am wasting away from within.
11 I am scorned by all my enemies
and despised by my neighbors—
even my friends are afraid to come near me.
When they see me on the street,
they run the other way.
12 I am ignored as if I were dead,
as if I were a broken pot.
13 I have heard the many rumors about me,
and I am surrounded by terror.
My enemies conspire against me,
plotting to take my life.
14 But I am trusting you, O Lord,
saying, “You are my God!”
15 My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
16 Let your favor shine on your servant.
In your unfailing love, rescue me.
17 Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord,
for I call out to you for help.
Let the wicked be disgraced;
let them lie silent in the grave.
18 Silence their lying lips—
those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.
19 How great is the goodness
you have stored up for those who fear you.
You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,
blessing them before the watching world.
20 You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
safe from those who conspire against them.
You shelter them in your presence,
far from accusing tongues.
21 Praise the Lord,
for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love.
He kept me safe when my city was under attack.
22 In panic I cried out,
“I am cut off from the Lord!”
But you heard my cry for mercy
and answered my call for help.
23 Love the Lord, all you godly ones!
For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him,
but he harshly punishes the arrogant.
24 So be strong and courageous,
all you who put your hope in the Lord!
32 A psalm of David.
1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude
6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude
8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.
11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Psalm 31: *Fr. Reardon contends that the true “voice” behind this psalm is Jesus on the cross. In fact, Jesus shouted verse 5, “Father, I entrust my spirit into Your hands!” as He breathed His last. (Luke 23:46 NLT). This makes this psalm an excellent prayer pattern for those of Jesus’s followers who are in deep distress. It gives expression to both our troubled emotions and our bedrock hope in Christ.
Psalm 32: *It’s time to come out of hiding, to open up (to repent = to confess our sins and our sinful nature) first to our loving Father God and receive His forgiveness and cleansing, then to other people so that we can be set free. This is why Jesus came: to be the payment for our sin. He is the one who sets us free! Once we accept that pardon, we can be filled with the joy expressed in Psalm 32. We’ll be free to live in complete honesty. We have been declared not guilty, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us.
*Thoughts based on Christ in the Psalms by Patrick Henry Reardon pages 59-62.
Prayer: Dear Father God, thank You for all that Jesus accomplished on my behalf through His suffering and death on the cross. It is only because of His righteousness applied to my sin-sick soul that I can even approach You and call You Father. It is only because of Jesus that I can come to You for protection, provision, rescue, unfailing love, safety, and guidance. Because of what You suffered, Jesus, You understand and come alongside to mercifully help me in times of distress, grief, sadness, weakness, abandonment, rumors, fear, attack, and terror. But when I put my trust in You, Your very presence turns everything around. Now my future is in Your loving hands, and Your favor shines on me. Your unfailing love rescues me. Your goodness is stored up for me because I fear You (hold You in reverent awe). You silence accusing tongues. You keep me safe. I now call others to be strong and courageous by putting their hope and trust in You as well, LORD! Thank You for the overwhelming joy that comes from knowing that when I repent, I am forgiven. My sin is covered by Your blood, Jesus. My guilt has been cleared because I was completely honest about what I have thought, said, and done. Even though I tried to excuse it or cover it up, my conscience and Your Holy Spirit would remind me. I was miserable. “Finally, I [gave up and] confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” May all those You are making godly pray while there is still time before severe judgment comes. From now on You, O God, are my hiding place. You will surround me and give me songs of deliverance. You will show me the best path for my life; You will advise and protect me. Please don’t let me be like a wild horse or a stubborn mule. There are many sorrows and regrets for those who disobey You, but infinite love surrounds those who trust and obey You. Come, friends, let’s rejoice in the LORD together. Let’s shout for joy because He has made our hearts pure and clean! AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will frequently, throughout the day, entrust my spirit, mind, will, emotions, and body to the LORD in prayer to receive all that He knows I need for life and godliness.
- I will be open in communicating with other people so that they will entrust their lives to Him as well.
- I will make a list of the sins that the LORD brings to mind, then write over them in red, “Forgiven! Covered by the blood of Christ. Paid in full.”
- I will help someone else do the same, then rejoice together that our sins are cancelled, and we are set free.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.