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 heed 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.
This Psalm is often read as part of the Passion liturgy during Holy Week,
reminding us of the words of Jesus on the cross: “Into your hand I commit
my spirit.” (Luke 23:46). Those words form Jesus’ final prayer.
Commentator James Mays says “it has been used by believers across the
ages as the prayer with which to take leave of this life in faith…a poignant
personal liturgy of the dying…[and] an existential confession of ultimate
helplessness, dependence, and trust, a way of saying in the midst of
affliction, ‘It is up to you, God, what becomes of me, and I am willing to
have it so.’” (Interpretation, p. 144) Another commentary notes that “much
of the psalm conveys the sense that God is already answering the
prayer.” (Psalms for All Seasons, p. 197)
Take a moment to reflect today: has there been a time in your life when
you’ve said, “It is up to you, God, what becomes of me, and I am willing to
have it so”?
Then read the Psalm again as a prayer.
As you prayed, did you have the sense that God is already answering?