Psalm 31:9-24

    9      Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble;
    My eye wastes away with grief,
    Yes, my soul and my body!
    10      For my life is spent with grief,
    And my years with sighing;
    My strength fails because of my iniquity,
    And my bones waste away.
    11      I am a reproach among all my enemies,
    But especially among my neighbors,
    And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
    Those who see me outside flee from me.
    12      I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
    I am like a broken vessel.
    13      For I hear the slander of many;
    Fear is on every side;
    While they take counsel together against me,
    They scheme to take away my life.
    14      But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD;
    I say, “You are my God.”
    15      My times are in Your hand;
    Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
    And from those who persecute me.
    16      Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
    Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
    17      Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You;
    Let the wicked be ashamed;
    Let them be silent in the grave.
    18      Let the lying lips be put to silence,
    Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.

    19      Oh, how great is Your goodness,
    Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
    Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
    In the presence of the sons of men!
    20      You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
    From the plots of man;
    You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
    From the strife of tongues.

    21      Blessed be the LORD,
    For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
    22      For I said in my haste,
    “I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
    Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
    When I cried out to You.

    23      Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!
    For the LORD preserves the faithful,
    And fully repays the proud person.
    24      Be of good courage,
    And He shall strengthen your heart,
    All you who hope in the LORD.
-Psalm 31:9-24

Grief, fear, and trials are all things we are very familiar with. While we do not face it in the same way as nonbelievers do, it is still something that we come in contact with regularly. While there is a certain subjectivity to each situation we may go through there is a common thread on how we ought to battle these and it has to do with perspective.

While we cannot change the circumstances in which we grieve, we do have the ability to have a different outlook concerning them. While certain things may stir fear in our hearts, we do not have to give ourselves over to fear. And while trials may come and we cannot change those situations, we most definitely can change our attitude about it. Let us look at the progression of the Psalm above.

This Psalm went from this place of grief to a place of praise. If you read verse 9 and then read verse 24, it almost seems like an entirely different psalm. So where was the turning point? Take a look at verse 14. The turning point was the trust in the Lord. While you may not be able to change the circumstances around grief, fear, or trials, you can choose to trust in the Lord. With this Psalm in particular you can see in what ways David is trusting the Lord. He trusts the Lord in timing, deliverance, justice, and truth. As he expresses this trust to the Lord he then goes into praise on how the Lord is good and does good to those who are trusting in Him.

How is it that you need to be trusting in the Lord today? What circumstances might have you grieving, fearing, or in a trial? Trust in the Lord and rejoice in Him as He is your deliverer.