¹In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed; in Your righteousness deliver me. ²Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; be to me a rock of strength, a stronghold to save me. ³For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me … ²³O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer. ²⁴Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.

Nothing hits home like a hymn during a church service that resonates deeply with one’s personal experience. Psalm 31 captures a universal struggle with finding our security in God in the midst of conflict with those who are against us. The sparse details given about the background to this piece lend it broad application, and therefore it is beloved as though it were personally speaking to each of us.

Written by David, this psalm was included in the psalter for use in the collective worship of Israel, as are fifty-six other psalms that begin with the phrase, “For the choir director.” The inscriptions (which I have called verse zero) are inspired editorial notes included by those who collected the 150 psalms into their final form; these contain either historical background or musical instructions for use in worship. (For more about how the psalms are arranged and their literary composition, see “The Book of Psalms: God’s Handbook of Doctrine, Emotions and Responses.”)

This particular psalm is a lament laying out a problem and a request for God’s help based on His character. Following David’s example, we can take refuge in the Lord by bringing our request for help to Him (vs. 1). David says He is like a rock and a fortress, picturing the Lord as a secure place, unmovable and impenetrable. When we hide in Him, as it were, we are well protected from all opponents who assail us. If David could seek refuge in God from literal enemies who were trying to kill him and defeat Israel in a physical battle, then we too can find refuge in God from those who criticize, undermine, or betray us; God can protect us against those who take legal action against us, steal from us, abuse or bully us, and otherwise try to hurt us.

Like David, we must pray in faith, trusting for His help. Ultimately, our faith rests in the truth that God will work in us for our need “for His name’s sake.” (vs. 3); He wants to be known as a God who actually works in our lives. But we learn from David that we must be fully in with God, trusting Him fully for His help, saying, “Into Your hand, I commit my spirit” (vs. 4-5a). By doing so, we join the company of not only David but also our Lord Jesus, who on the cross reflected the same trust in His heavenly Father (Luke 23:46).

We shore up our faith by rehearsing our loyalty to and trust in Him, “O Lord, God of truth” (vs. 5-8). David’s fidelity to God renders his attitude toward “vain” idols as hatred; there is no comparison. What this means is that we need a level of trust in God that is exclusive; it does not include a plan B in case God doesn’t come through for us. We completely dismiss (“hate”) the thought of being like those who trust in idols or anything other than God to save them. We see this attitude in Daniel’s three friends who refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol:

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Dan. 3:17–18)

David’s faith leads him to rejoice in God because he knows He will act toward him with His characteristic lovingkindness (vs. 7). Like David, we have faith that God knows our struggle, and we trust that His rescue is as good as done (vs. 8).

So after the above prelude, David lays out his personal and very human struggle (vss. 9-13). We must, likewise, be as honest in our souls as David was. Do his words describe similar feelings we have in our most distressing circumstances? It does no good to hide these feelings, cover them up with a faux bravado and superficial religiosity that says the “right” pious words but mocks those who take their feelings seriously. David owned up to how he felt; there was no use in stuffing his inner feelings in the presence of a God who knows our hearts and our inner feelings and demands truth at all levels from us. David himself wrote at another time, “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being” (Psalm 51:4).

So after laying out his weakness and self-doubt before the Lord, he reiterates that despite his feelings, he firmly trusts in God. (vss. 14-17a). Faith and trust involve knowing ourselves and knowing God—knowing our need and our weakness on the one hand, and knowing God and His character on the other hand. The battle is not only about the outward conflict but also about the inner weakness of our soul. What a tremendous lesson we learn from this man of God. So David can, in integrity, express his personal, relational trust in God, not just mental assent to God as a deity out there. David knows and trusts in the Lord as “my God.” He depends on and desires a growing intimacy with God (“Make Your face to shine upon Your servant”). In this context, he again calls upon God for help.

Our integrity before God requires us to put into words what we think and feel about our detractors. Although, as NT believers, we are told to love our enemies, we sometimes wish vengeance on them, truth be told. We quote with a certain gusto, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19), and we relish the event where God does bring vengeance. But how can we wish for them to be judged for “lying lips” if we are not honest with God about how we feel about them? (For more about what Bible scholars call the imprecatory statements in psalms, where the psalmist express hatred or judgment on his enemies, see “The Book of Psalms: God’s Handbook of Doctrine, Emotions and Responses.”)

David, as he often does in his many psalms, concludes with his praise for God and invites others to join with him in this. He has dwelt on his need and his request; now, in verses 19-24, he unleashes his praise for God, “How great is Your goodness …” (vs. 19). We get the impression he could not let his problem detract from his praising God, which is his highest aspiration. This desire is not for David only; he encourages others to know, praise, and love the Lord just as he does. In this, we can be strong and courageous in facing our external conflicts and inner struggles, and renew our hope in our living Lord (vss. 23-24).

Lord, I praise and worship You; my struggles only serve to purify my faith in and love for You even more.