Psalm 31:24

Psalm 31:24  

Be strong and take heart     

And so we come to the end of yet another Psalm that has been full of potent truth. If you remember, it was written at a time when King David feared conspiracies and plots and the tactics of his enemies. The first 13 verses give us an insight into his mental and spiritual torment and then everything changes in verse 14. “But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” From that moment, it seems as if the weakened king rises from his bed of despair and starts to rally against his enemies, only he doesn’t fight back! Instead he puts his trust in the Lord God, he hides in the Lord’s presence and leaves retribution to his God. The secret of his strength and hope in this last verse is not in his military might, or his wealth and influence or even in his office as king; it is his hope in the Lord. I take note here, and so must you. How often we try to resolve the insurmountable problems that face us and how often we squirm under the injustice of the treatment we have received. How often we feel, like David, that everyone is conspiring against us and we have no strength left to fight back. This is where we hope in the Lord, if our cause is righteous then we can be strong, we can take heart, He will always vindicate His people and protect His children who He loves. Praise God! Do not retaliate, do not seek revenge, do not be dragged down by the enemy’s taunts. Look up, for our God is for us, who can be against us?  Hallelujah!

 

 

Thank you, Lord, that you see us when we are in the dungeon of despair. Thank You that it is only when we are at our wits end that we learn to cast all our cares and anxieties on You. Let us learn from these experiences, learn to trust, learn to hope. Help us to be like David who took cover in Your presence where he discovered the wonder of Your love. How we love You. What would we do without You? We look forward to continuing our journey together in Your company. Blessed be Your name.

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