Dear Church of the Open Bible,
I love the honesty of the Psalms. It is refreshing and convicting to compare my prayers with the inspired words of David and others. Psalm 31 has been especially poignant for me these days. In vv. 9-13, David is honest about his despair. His “life is spent with sorrow” and his “years with sighing…” (v. 10). He has “been forgotten like one who is dead” and has “become like a broken vessel” (v. 12). Have you felt like that? Maybe you feel like that today? Are you honest to God in asking for His grace in the midst of your distress (v. 9)? David acknowledges that his despair comes from within, his iniquity (v. 10), and from without, the attacks of others (vv. 11, 13).
But in the middle of his despair, David declares His trust in the Lord (v. 14). I love the simple acknowledgment in v. 15, “My times are in your hand…” Have you surrendered your times to the Lord? Can you trust that the chaos around you is not a symptom of divine struggle but of patient mercy?
This trust moves David to express hope for the future, though he may not be experiencing it in the moment. “Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you…” (v. 19). Are you convinced of God’s goodness and that it is being stored up for you?
This is what faithfulness looks like in broken people, in a broken world. May we be honest about our need for the Lord, declare our trust in Him, and have firm hope in His goodness.