For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Psalm 31

1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
    come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
    for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,
    for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
    deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
    as for me, I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
    for you saw my affliction
    and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
    but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
    my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
    my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
    and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
    and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
    I am the utter contempt of my neighbours
and an object of dread to my closest friends –
    those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;
    I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear many whispering,
    ‘Terror on every side!’
They conspire against me
    and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, Lord;
    I say, ‘You are my God.’
15 My times are in your hands;
    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
    from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
    save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord,
    for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
    and be silent in the realm of the dead.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
    for with pride and contempt
    they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19 How abundant are the good things
    that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
    on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
    from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
    from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the Lord,
    for he showed me the wonders of his love
    when I was in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said,
    ‘I am cut off from your sight!’
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
    when I called to you for help.

23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
    The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
    but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
    all you who hope in the Lord.

A. Find Out:

1. What has David done (v.1) and so what things does he ask ? v.2-5
2. What declarations of testimony does he then make? v.6-8
3. List the things he says about himself. v.9-12
4. What does he ask the Lord to do? v.15-18
5. What does he say the Lord does? v.19,20
6. What does he then say the Lord has done for him? v.21,22
7. What does he then exhort us to do? v.23,24

B. Think:

1. What was David feeling about himself that made him pray?
2. What was the apparent cause of those feelings?
3. What was he able to say about the Lord that gave him confidence?

C. Comment:

  Observe first what David was feeling : he was in deep distress and anguish (v.9,10) and that affected his very physical being. We all know that worry is exhausting, that it causes stomach upsets and generally throws our body out of line.

  Next note what caused this : he had enemies (v.11, 15) who were wicked (v.17), slandering him (v.13), lying (v.18), plotting against him even to take his life (v.13). No wonder he felt stressed!

  Then let’s note David’s knowledge of God : he knows the Lord as a refuge (v.1-4,20), his times are in His hands (v.15), God has unfailing love (v.16,21), He’s utterly good (v.19). Even in distress, with this sort of knowledge he can be confident. It just needs speaking out.

  Then see David’s requests : for the Lord to be his protection (v.2), to be his guide (v.3), to free him from these circumstances (v.4), to deliver him from his enemies (v.15).

  Finally see the answers to his prayers : the Lord heard him (v.22), expressed His love (v.21) and obviously preserved him (v.23)

D. Application:

1. When we are in distress from enemy opposition, it is our knowledge of God, already gained, that gives us confidence. Seek Him!
2. In that confidence we can face our failures, the badness of our circumstances, and honestly cry for help.