Psalm 31

Psalm 31

Overwhelming Distress

I.                    Continually pressing into God is the only redress for life’s distress; so we must continually pray to Him and continually trust in Him (Vv. 1-8)

a.       Overwhelmed with distress, most likely because of the rebellion of his son Absalom, we find David engaged in prayer before God, remembering who God is, what He’s like, and desiring and calling for God to act quickly to redress his great distress. David turns to God because He’s his refuge, rock, strength, stronghold, and fortress. David felt unprotected, exposed to danger, too weak to contend for himself, on shaky footing, and unable to discern the right way to go and the right thing to do. As people plotted against David and uncertainty continued to grow in his heart and mind, he felt shame. The only antidote to distress, shame, and disappointment is the perfect righteousness of God. It was God who would lead David back and guide him in the right way for the glory of His Name. David overwhelmed and could do nothing else but commit his spirit to God. Only God is able and willing to ransom David’s heart by His grace through David’s repentant faith. David looked forward in faith to the Messiah who would come in his line and establish his throne eternally. We live on the other side of the cross, and know that only repentant faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ ransoms us from our sin through the price of His suffering and shed blood, credits us with His righteousness, removes our shame and reproach which He bore on our behalf, and redresses our hearts when we’re in distress. (Vv. 1-5; 2 Sam. 15-18; Ps. 18:1-3; 51:10-12, 16-7; 110:1-2; Jonah 2:8; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59; Rom. 3:21-26; 5:1-11; 2 Cor. 5:17, 21)

b.       David had walked closely with God through life’s ups and downs. He was confident that God loved him, knew his distress and affliction, and felt it alongside him. David’s love for the Lord moved him to despise idolatry which stole the Lord’s glory. The scheming and rebellion of those around him pressed David into a tight place, but God relieved his pressure, and set him in wide open spaces. David’s communion with God and understanding of who He is, moved him, in such a difficult time, to pray God’s nature and character back to Him, press into who God is, and God filled David’s heart with trust and relief. (Vv. 6-8; Ps. 4:1; 18:19, 36; Prov. 3:5-6; Isa. 44:9-23; 2 Cor. 1:8-11)

II.                 Continually pressing into God is the only redress for life’s distress; so we must not be overwhelmed by circumstances, but must be overwhelmed by trust and praise for Him (Vv. 9-24)

a.       David reflects real life in this psalm, and even though he had found relief, he finds himself in distress again. Enemies are conspiring on him from all sides, pressing in on him and causing him distress, terror, weakness, sorrow, and grief. God also reveals that some of his distress is the result of his own sin and he feels shame. Others won’t have anything to do with him. He feels isolated, rejected, and broken. But David’s personal relationship with God brings him peace and hope through trust in Him. He trust that God is sovereign over all things, and that all He does is good because God alone is good. No matter our circumstances, we can know that God is working and accomplishing His will and purpose for His glory, is never unaware of our distress, filters all of our life through His will, and is faithful to accomplish His greatest glory and our greatest good. We will never be ashamed or disappointed in God, and will never find satisfaction, meaning, or value in anything or anyone else. We must humbly ask God to reveal what we need to understand about what He’s doing, and what we need to do with it to glorify Him and grow closer to Him because God is always doing something and it’s always good! (Vv. 9-18; Gen. 50:20; Ps. 90:1-2; Prov. 3:7-8; 28:13; Jer. 6:25; 20:3; 46:5; 49:29; Lam. 2:22;  Dan. 2:21; Rom. 3:10-18; 11:33-12:2; Gal. 6:7-8; Phil. 4:6-7)

b.       David is again moved to prayer, however instead of a prayer of petition this a prayer of praise for God. God is not only good, and does only good, but He’s even better than we know, and does even more good than we can see. God is faithful to those who are in awe of Him and seek refuge in Him; He hides them in His presence. We will all feel distressed and overwhelmed by life, cut off from God, and tempted to give up, but God hears us, God cares for us, and only He can provide eternal hope, peace, joy, and purpose. We must not allow the world to press in between us and God, but must continually press into Him, trust in Him, and wait on Him. David continually sought out God through his ups and downs, and was moved from distress to redress! That must be the movement in our lives too! (Vv. 20-24; Job 42:2; Ps. 9:1-10; 113:1-9; Luke 19:37-40; Rom. 8:18-39; 1 Cor. 13:13; 2 Cor. 4:16-18; Eph. 1:9-14; 3:14-21; Phil. 3:12-16; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; Heb. 10:36-39; 11:1, 6, 8-10; 12:28-29; 13:15; 1 Pet. 5:6-11; Jude 24-25; Rev. 21:1-7)