9 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress.
    Tears blur my eyes.
    My body and soul are withering away.
10 I am dying from grief;
    my years are shortened by sadness.
Sin has drained my strength;
    I am wasting away from within.
11 I am scorned by all my enemies
    and despised by my neighbours—
    even my friends are afraid to come near me.
When they see me on the street,
    they run the other way.
12 I am ignored as if I were dead,
    as if I were a broken pot.
13 I have heard the many rumors about me,
    and I am surrounded by terror.
My enemies conspire against me,
    plotting to take my life.

14 But I am trusting you, O Lord,
    saying, “You are my God!”
15 My future is in your hands.
    Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
16 Let your favor shine on your servant.
    In your unfailing love, rescue me.
17 Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord,
    for I call out to you for help.
Let the wicked be disgraced;
    let them lie silent in the grave.
18 Silence their lying lips—
    those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly. NLT

The eminent theologian, Tom Wright (N.T. Wright) was asked, in an interview, where people should be encouraged to start reading in the Bible. He replied by saying there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer. It depends on their background and where they are. But, as a general rule, he suggested starting with one of the gospels, Mark in particular. Or the Psalms. He said, in effect, you will find every emotion in the world expressed there – good and bad.

Psalm 31 is full of emotion. What a state David was in.

Somebody said, regarding verse 12, that David was ‘yesterday’s man’. Certainly he seemed to feel that. But that wasn’t the worst of it. They say that we are experiencing an ‘epidemic of loneliness’ in our times, and David knew what it was to feel alone in his day – abandoned even by his friends. It appears he may also have endured some sickness, but he was prepared to admit that his own sin had contributed. Look at verse 10b. Sin may not always make you ill, but it is generally debilitating, and some sins have regrettable, even disastrous consequences. Some may be irreperable.

However, the entire atmosphere changes with the word ”But” at verse 14. David was alone, and possibly did feel lonely, but he had a living relationship with God and trusted in Him. So he was not alone. His Lord did not let him down. As we will see, David came through all of this with a glorious testimony.

Alec Motyer heads these verses ” ‘Your hands’ versus ‘their hands’ ”, and comments, ‘The hand of God is not the place where we are immune from life’s troubles; it is the place where they happen to us (John 10:28-29); our security is not from trouble but in trouble.’