Psalms 31:1-16: a reflection

1In you, LORD, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed. Deliver me in your righteousness. 2Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me. 3For you are my rock and my fortress, therefore for your name’s sake lead me and guide me. 4Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for you are my stronghold. 5Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, LORD, God of truth. 6I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in the LORD. 7I will be glad and rejoice in your loving kindness, for you have seen my affliction. You have known my soul in adversities. 8You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a large place. 9Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief. 10For my life is spent with sorrow, my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity. My bones are wasted away. 11Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors, a horror to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me. 12I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man. I am like broken pottery. 13For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life. 14But I trust in you, LORD. I said, “You are my God.” 15My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. 16Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.

In distress and danger, the psalmist takes refuge in God and entrusts his whole life and future to him: into your hand I commit my spirit; my times are in your hand. Into your hand I commend my spirit, the psalm says; you redeem me, LORD, God of truth. And later: my times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies. Surrounded by trouble, wasting with grief, plotted against, the psalmist does not despair; he takes refuge in God, commits his very spirit into God's hand, and rests in the truth that his times, all his life and future, are in God's hand, not the hand of his enemies or of chance. He entrusts his whole life and its unfolding to God. This shows entrusting our life and our times to God's hand, taking refuge in him. Entrust your life and your times into God's hand. Your times are in God's hand, not the hand of enemies or chance. Commit your spirit and your future to the God in whom you take refuge. In distress, rest in the truth that your life is held in God's hand.

Notice how the psalmist responds to his distress. He is surrounded by trouble, in real distress: wasting away with grief, contemptible to his neighbors, plotted against by enemies who seek his life. In such a situation, it would be easy to feel that his life was in the hands of his enemies, at the mercy of their plots, or in the hands of blind chance. But the psalmist responds otherwise. He takes refuge in God, his rock and fortress; he commits his very spirit into God's hand; and he rests in the truth: my times are in your hand. His life and its unfolding, all his times, his present distress and his unknown future, are not finally in the hands of his enemies or of chance, but in God's hand. And so he entrusts it all to God, taking refuge in him. This holds a deep comfort for our own distress and uncertainty. When we are in distress, threatened, uncertain of the future, we can feel that our life is at the mercy of forces beyond our control, of others who mean us harm, of circumstances, of chance. But the truth the psalmist rests in is ours too: our times are in God's hand. Our life and its unfolding, our present and our future, are held not by our enemies or by chance, but by God, into whose hand we can commit our spirit and our times, taking refuge in him. To entrust our whole life and future to God's hand, resting in the truth that our times are held by him, brings peace even in distress. We do well, in distress and uncertainty, to entrust our life and our times to God's hand, taking refuge in him. Entrust your life, your spirit, and your times into God's hand. Your times are held by God, not by enemies or chance. Take refuge in God, and rest in the truth that your life is in his hand. Commit your uncertain future to the God who holds your times.

That is worth resting in, for our times are in God's hand, and we can entrust our life and future to him, taking refuge in him, as the psalmist did in distress. We can feel our life is at the mercy of enemies or chance; but the psalmist rested in the truth that his times were in God's hand, and committed his spirit to him. Your times are held. When you are in distress and uncertain of the future, do not feel at the mercy of enemies or chance; entrust your life and your times to God's hand, and take refuge in him. In distress and uncertainty, entrust your life, your spirit, and your times into God's hand, taking refuge in him and resting in the truth that your times are held by God and not by enemies or chance, as in distress and danger the psalmist took refuge in God and entrusted his whole life and future to him, saying into your hand I commit my spirit and my times are in your hand; for surrounded by trouble, wasting with grief, and plotted against, the psalmist did not despair but took refuge in God, committed his very spirit into God's hand, and rested in the truth that his times, all his life and future, were in God's hand and not the hand of his enemies or of chance, entrusting his whole life and its unfolding to God, which holds a deep comfort for our own distress and uncertainty, since when we are in distress, threatened, and uncertain of the future we can feel our life is at the mercy of forces beyond our control, of others who mean us harm, of circumstances, and of chance, but the truth the psalmist rests in is ours too, that our times are in God's hand and our life and its unfolding, our present and future, are held not by our enemies or chance but by God, into whose hand we can commit our spirit and our times, so that to entrust our whole life and future to God's hand and rest in the truth that our times are held by him brings peace even in distress, and we do well to do so.

Lord, in distress and danger, the psalmist takes refuge in you and entrusts his whole life and future to you: into your hand I commit my spirit; my times are in your hand. Into your hand I commend my spirit, the psalm says; you redeem me, LORD, God of truth. And later: my times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies. Surrounded by trouble, wasting with grief, plotted against, the psalmist does not despair; he takes refuge in you, commits his very spirit into your hand, and rests in the truth that his times, all his life and future, are in your hand, not the hand of his enemies or of chance. He entrusts his whole life and its unfolding to you. Show me how the psalmist responds to his distress. He is surrounded by trouble, in real distress: wasting with grief, plotted against by enemies who seek his life. In such a situation, it would be easy to feel that his life was in the hands of his enemies, or of blind chance. But he responds otherwise. He takes refuge in you, his rock and fortress; he commits his very spirit into your hand; and he rests in the truth: my times are in your hand. His life and its unfolding, all his times, his present distress and his unknown future, are not finally in the hands of his enemies or of chance, but in your hand. And so he entrusts it all to you. This holds a deep comfort for my own distress and uncertainty. When I am in distress, threatened, uncertain of the future, I can feel that my life is at the mercy of forces beyond my control, of others who mean me harm, of circumstances, of chance. But the truth the psalmist rests in is mine too: my times are in your hand. My life and its unfolding, my present and my future, are held not by my enemies or by chance, but by you, into whose hand I can commit my spirit and my times. Take that to my heart. When I am in distress and uncertain of the future, keep me from feeling at the mercy of enemies or chance; help me entrust my life, my spirit, and my times into your hand, Lord, taking refuge in you and resting in the truth that my times are held by you, that I may have peace even in distress.