January 31, 2017: Day 31 – Psalm 31

As you read through this psalm you will find at least one verse that strikes a familiar note.  Look at vs.5 and you will find its counterpart in Luke 23:46 where Jesus is on the cross and he utters his final words.  It is a poignant psalm for those of us who consider ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ.  It is a time when Jesus recognizes that no one else is going to be able to go through what he is going through.  When he commits his spirit to his Father, we fully recognize that we are talking about the Holy Spirit.  

You can break down this psalm into various verses and find their themes well represented.  Vs.1-8 we find the author reinforcing his commitment to the Lord, and, probably more importantly, the Lord’s commitment to him.  He lists the various time that God did not, and will not, abandon him.  He is able to commit his spirit to the Lord because he knows that his spirit is already in the hands of the Lord.  

Then in vs.9-18 you see the psalmist list the troubles that he is facing which are many.  Then we transition again from vs.19-24 where we read about the goodness of the Lord and his faithfulness to all generations.  I love vs. 24 because it does really harken back to psalm 27:14 which tells us: Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

So really this psalm has all the ebbs and the flows of our life where we find ourselves convinced of God’s presence and faithfulness.  But then something happens and that conviction changes and we just find ourselves beset by problems and troubles and the waters just seem to rise too high for us to keep our head above.  Those times then transition, we hope, to God drawing us out of the miry pit and being able to see around us with a perspective of one who has been through it and back.  That perspective is so valuable and so incredibly useful in our life journey.