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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.’

O Lord, I have come to you for protection;
    don’t let me be disgraced.
    Save me, for you do what is right.
² Turn your ear to listen to me;
    rescue me quickly.
Be my rock of protection,
    a fortress where I will be safe.
³ You are my rock and my fortress.
    For the honour of your name, lead me out of this danger.
⁴ Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me,
    for I find protection in you alone.
⁵ I entrust my spirit into your hand.
    Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.

⁶ I hate those who worship worthless idols.
    I trust in the Lord.
⁷ I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love,
    for you have seen my troubles,
    and you care about the anguish of my soul.
⁸ You have not handed me over to my enemies
    but have set me in a safe place. NLT

‘The person in scripture who has the most extensively told story is the same person who is shown to be most at prayer. The outside of his life is told in story, the inside is told in prayer. The books of Samuel and Chronicles give the plot to David’s story, the Psalms show the passion.’ Eugene Peterson

Alec Motyer writes, ‘Twice (1-8, 9-17b) David recalls how in a sharp trial he resorted to trustful prayer and commitment and how the Lord heard and acted on his behalf (21,22), giving him cause to call others to a similar hope (23,24). The psalm, therefore, not only instructs us to meet crises with prayer (1-18) but assures us of the effectiveness of doing so (19-24)…Here in principle is the antidote to a crisis; prayerful and trustful, devoted seeking of God.’

He heads verses 1-8: ‘The fortress versus the trap’

As we will see later, in verses 19,20, David finds in God, ‘a strong place to stand, a secure place to enter…’ Motyer

He is a ”rock” and ”fortress”. He lives up to His Name!

He is our ”faithful God” (5b).

On the day I wrote this, Jilly and I had been reading the story of Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14. The point has been made many times before, but we noted it again, that Peter was fine so long as he fixed his eyes on Jesus. But once his focus was diverted onto the storm, he was in danger of going under.

Psalm 31 encourages us to look at, and to, the Lord. David’s testimony is that in Him there is safety.

May we all, today, have a renewed sense of the reality of prayer, and see that it is a living thing in which we relate personally to the living God.

The wind blows wherever it pleases. (John 3:8a NIVUK)

Recently, we were driving across a fairly remote stretch of moorland, on our way to a service in another Dale. For the first time in many a year, we came across a hitch-hiker. He was trudging up the road towards Kettlewell, with several weary miles ahead of him.When we picked him up, he told us that the few passing cars were all heading in the opposite direction. Just a little way farther up the road, we came across one of his buddies, and managed to squeeze him into the back seat also, with his pack spread across both their knees.

It turned out they were paragliders. The first guy we met told us he had ‘made a mistake’ at some point after taking off, and ended up landing somewhere he didn’t intend. As we dropped them off at their starting point, I believe paraglider number 1 was going to go again.

Over the last few days I’ve thought quite a bit about this encounter. I am not a paraglider, but I believe these people are dependent on riding the thermals. There are a few things they have to do (and things they can get wrong!), but they are totally dependent on the wind/air for flight. They have to co-operate with nature. They are not, ultimately, in control.

I was thinking, in terms of the moving of the Holy Spirit (who, in Scripture, is likened to the wind) we can position ourselves for flight. We can also mess things up. We can ”keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal.5:25), and we can get out of step. We can, sadly, quench, or grieve the Holy Spirit.

But it is the ‘blowing’ of the sovereign Spirit of God that is all important.

I heard a man say about revival, that when the Spirit of God is moving in power, you may as well try and control a hurricane. He shows us that we are not in charge.

PRAYER: Lord God, in these days when we hear of the wind of your Spirit blowing in many places, may we be ready for take-off. Help us to step off our comfortable hillsides and cliff tops, and trust to the ‘thermals’. We want to fly with you O gracious Lord.

I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me.
    You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
² O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you restored my health.
³ You brought me up from the grave, O Lord.
    You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

⁴ Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
    Praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

⁶ When I was prosperous, I said,
    “Nothing can stop me now!”
⁷ Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.
    Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.

⁸ I cried out to you, O Lord.
    I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
⁹ “What will you gain if I die,
    if I sink into the grave?
Can my dust praise you?
    Can it tell of your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me.
    Help me, O Lord.”

¹¹ You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
    You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
¹² that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! NLT

I want to spend just one more day on this psalm, and with a particular end in view.

I have just re-written my prayer list, having known for some time that I’ve needed to do this. In the past I have at times used lists, but recently it’s been my practice to work from memory, and it is easy to then miss some people/situations/needs for which I feel I ought to be praying.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the making of prayer lists. My current list covers six days of the week. It’s not my intention to miss a day praying, but the ‘buffer zone’ can be helpful.

In my notebook there are one or two prayer points for every day of the week: these, ideally, to be offered daily. The others are spread across the six days I’ve earmarked. So in the main, I’m not praying for everyone/everything every day. If on Monday I am praying for person a) and person b), on Tuesday my focus will be on someone else. (But, of course, as the need arises, I can transfer someone to the every day list for a ‘season’)

If this all sounds rather rigid, I see it more as laying down a ‘track’ for the train of prayer to run along. But I want to always be flexible, so that if God signals that I need to switch tracks I will be ready for the change of points.

I see the list, then, as a guide to prayer, and not a burdensome self-imposed rule book. it will also inevitably require editing as time goes by. But it keeps reminding me of those who I believe should be in my regular prayers at this time.

I realise that many others also have some form of prayer framework, whether written down or memorised. I want to encourage you today to return to Psalm 30 and trust God to match up words, phrases, themes, ideas with the needs and people on your list. You might even want to jot down a Scripture next to their name.

May God bless and guide you as you pray today…and every day you pray. It is powerful to pray the Word.

¹ I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
² Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
³ You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.

⁴ Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favour lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

⁶ When I felt secure, I said,
    ‘I shall never be shaken.’
⁷ Lord, when you favoured me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.

⁸ To you, Lord, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
⁹ ‘What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
    Lord, be my help.’

¹¹ You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
¹² that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you for ever. NIVUK

‘All prayer is prayed in a story, by someone who is in the story. There are no storyless prayers…Prayers are prayed by people who live stories. Every life is a story. We are not always aware that we are living a story; often it seems more like a laundry list. But story it is.’ Eugene Peterson

As in many other psalms, this one reflects parts of David’s story. Verses 6,7, in particular, seem to look back to a time when he was at the height of his powers. He had ‘success’. It was a time when he was riding high ‘in the polls’ because God was blessing him. It is so easy for us to get above ourselves – for things to ‘go to our heads’ – and we start to believe in our own publicity. We forget that our flourishing is a divine gift, and not our own doing. ”A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.” John 3:27

Self- confidence is perilous to the spiritual life.

There is a story told about a young preacher. It’s possibly apocryphal, but it speaks truth and makes a great point. This youthful fellow bounded up the pulpit steps to preach his first sermon, full of a sense of his own capabilities. He was going to show them! Five to ten minutes later he walked slowly down those same steps, head bowed with embarrassed shame, feeling he’d done very badly. An old elder came up to him, put his arm around him, and said, ‘Young man, if you’d gone up as you came down, you’d have come down as you went up.’

‘If, in this pride-inducing period, the Lord in grace humbled David by a sickness which dashed the cup from his hand before he had time to drink it, the terms of the psalm are most perfectly suited and David learned that as grace had brought him safe thus far, only grace can lead him home.’ Alec Motyer

PRAYER: Lord, please forgive us and deliver us from all pride, conceit and self-assurance. May our trust be in you alone, and not in ourselves.

THOUGHT: ‘The Church always fails at the point of self-confidence.’ Samuel Chadwick

I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
² Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
³ You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit.

⁴ Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favour lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.

⁶ When I felt secure, I said,
    ‘I shall never be shaken.’
⁷ Lord, when you favoured me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.

⁸ To you, Lord, I called;
    to the Lord I cried for mercy:
⁹ ‘What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
    Lord, be my help.’

¹¹ You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
¹² that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you for ever. NIVUK

I have just finished reading a short biography of John Newton who, prior to his conversion, was a decadent, blaspheming seaman. He eventually became the captain of a slave trading ship. He wrote many hymns after coming to Christ, but ‘Amazing grace’ is his most famous. It became his life theme. He never lost sight of ”the depths” of depravity from which he had been lifted, and it is said that this made him most tender, kind and gentle in all his dealings with people. He knew deeply that he was a debtor to mercy alone.

The epitaph he wrote for himself contains these lines:

‘John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ preserved, restored, pardoned and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.’

Here is a further example of his humility:

‘Whoever is truly humbled — will not be easily angry, nor harsh or critical of others. He will be compassionate and tender to the infirmities of his fellow-sinners, knowing that if there is a difference — it is grace alone which has made it! He knows that he has the seeds of every evil in his own heart. And under all trials and afflictions — he will look to the hand of the Lord, and lay his mouth in the dust, acknowledging that he suffers much less than his iniquities have deserved.’

Towards the end of his life he said:

Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Saviour.’

PRAYER: Lord, enable me to always remember, and live in the light of, the greatness of salvation. May I never lose the wonder of your ‘amazing grace’.

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
    Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
    the Lord is enthroned as King for ever.
¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people;
    the Lord blesses his people with peace. NIVUK

‘These verses march to the tune of thunderbolts.’ C.H.Spurgeon

The Lord reigns supreme ”over” every ”‘flood”;

So, inevitably, His Word (”voice”) is also ”over” all (that mighty Word which brought all things into existence, and now ultimately upholds all things – The Word who ultimately was ”made flesh”).

God has the last, decisive word in, and over, every storm.

‘God sat as King at the Flood, and He is still King! No storm is greater than God.’ Warren Wiersbe

Where we read:

”The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon” (5),

Matthew Henry comments: ‘the strongest, the stateliest’

Spurgeon writes: ‘What a shaking and overturning power there is in the word of God’

Also, he says: ‘The gospel of Jesus has a like dominion over the most inaccessible of mortals; and when the Lord sends the word, it breaks hearts far stouter than cedars.’

Verse 7 says:

”The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.”

God’s Word not only breaks hardened hearts, but also enlightens darkened minds

We note that this psalm begins by ascribing ”strength” to God, and ends by affirming that ”strength” also comes from Him.

Let’s give the final word to Alec Motyer, whose comments on the psalms in the ‘New Bible Commentary’ are tremendous:

‘It is best simply to let the wonder and awesomeness of this psalm sweep and swirl around us until we are so possessed in spirit by the majesty of the Lord that we too cry Glory (9)…To many a storm is a storm, but to those to whom the Lord has revealed himself, it is a display of one aspect of his glory. The sentimentalist says ‘One is nearer God’s heart in a garden’; more realistic, the Bible affirms we are nearer his heart in a hurricane.’

God’s voice comes to us in a storm. What is true physically is also the case spiritually.

To you, Lord, I call;
    you are my Rock,
    do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
    I shall be like those who go down to the pit.
² Hear my cry for mercy
    as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
    towards your Most Holy Place.

³ Do not drag me away with the wicked,
    with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbours
    but harbour malice in their hearts.
⁴ Repay them for their deeds
    and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
    and bring back on them what they deserve.

⁵ Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord
    and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
    and never build them up again.

⁶ Praise be to the Lord,
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.
⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.

⁸ The Lord is the strength of his people,
    a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
⁹ Save your people and bless your inheritance;
    be their shepherd and carry them for ever. NIVUK

Do you see the movement in this psalm, from a starting point which maybe feels a little tentative (1,2), to a place of calm confidence in God (6-8)? It may be that you can relate to this? You don’t always feel at the beginning of your prayers as you do at the end, or in the middle even. At the outset David has a sense of what is in the balance: if the Lord doesn’t hear him, speak to him, and help him, he’s in deep trouble. (‘ ”If You are silent,” said David, ”I might just as well be dead! And if You don’t deliver me, You are treating me like the enemy!” Pretty powerful arguments!’ Warren Wiersbe).

But soon enough he is able to boldly declare that he has been heard.

Someone said, ‘Pray until you pray.’

It may take time to come to a place of assurance that you have the answer, (even if you don’t yet see it). You can have it in your heart before you have it in your hands.

Interestingly, in my ‘Bible in one year’, this psalm nestles adjacent to Mark 11, where Jesus says in verses 22-24: ”‘Have faith in God,’ …‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

PRAYER: ‘Give me the faith which can remove
and sink the mountain to a plain;
give me the childlike praying love,
which longs to build thy house again;
thy love, let it my heart o’er-power,
and all my simple soul devour.’ Charles Wesley

Lord, increase our faith!

⁶ God holds me head and shoulders
    above all who try to pull me down.
I’m headed for his place to offer anthems
    that will raise the roof!
Already I’m singing God-songs;
    I’m making music to God.

^7-9 Listen, God, I’m calling at the top of my lungs:
    “Be good to me! Answer me!”
When my heart whispered, “Seek God,”
    my whole being replied,
“I’m seeking him!”
    Don’t hide from me now!

^9-10 You’ve always been right there for me;
    don’t turn your back on me now.
Don’t throw me out, don’t abandon me;
    you’ve always kept the door open.
My father and mother walked out and left me,
    but God took me in.

^11-12 Point me down your highway, God;
    direct me along a well-lighted street;
    show my enemies whose side you’re on.
Don’t throw me to the dogs,
    those liars who are out to get me,
    filling the air with their threats.

^13-14 I’m sure now I’ll see God’s goodness
    in the exuberant earth.
Stay with God!
    Take heart. Don’t quit.
I’ll say it again:
    Stay with God. The Message

David found within himself both a heart to seek the Lord, and the will to do it May he grant to us also such a spirit of prayer. David knew a vivid relationship with God: one that lifted him up above the antagonism of enemies (1-6/11,12) and the rejection of loved ones (9,10), and brought ‘light’ to the dark streets on which he often found himself (11).

It is the reality of David’s relationship with God that shouts at me from this lovely psalm.

Here are a couple of prayers I found online, based on Psalm 27:

‘Heavenly Father, as I journey through the verses of Psalm 27, I desire to draw near to You. Let my heart seek Your presence and find its true home in Your love and grace.’

‘Dear God, grant me the patience to wait on Your perfect timing. Help me to trust that Your plans are greater than my own and that You will fulfill Your promises in due season.’