Into Thy Hand
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Introduction
Introduction
One of the strongest ailments affecting us today - pressure, stress, or anxiety. A symptom of living in a world wrought with much difficulty. Nothing in which we have control but we desire to and we strive to. The more we try to be in control the higher the pressure, our stress and our anxiety. There are classes, books, articles, websites, coaching and meditation offered all to help reduce stress, anxiety pressure and to put you in control. The problem isnt that we arent in control, the problem is thinking that being in control is possible. One problem is that while many seek help from all sorts of sources, a lot - even among those with in the church are reluctant to seek the LORD first or primarily. The second problem is that a great majority are under the false assumption that it is a one time solution.
Psalm 31 is a Psalm again from David and comes from a place of great need. The prayer of one despised, defamed, and in despair. Perhaps we are beginning to see that much of David’s life was spent in this condition and a great many rich and helpful bandaging Psalms were written and born out of times of great pain and despair - through David’s pressures, stresses and anxieties. This Psalm is an exhortation from David for those afflicted to love the LORD and be strong and courageous for the LORD would protect them. This truth David shares was learned through committing his life into the hands of the LORD. As we go through this Psalm we will see it alternates back and forth between pain and suffering and rescue and restoration. C.S. Lewis points out a great reminder we must take to heart and learn from “the Psalms are poems, and poems intended to be sung; not doctrinal treatise, nor even sermons.” The remedy for us tonight is on trusting control not to ourselves, but the personal and sovereign LORD. We do this by entrusting and giving ourselves into His hand now matter how difficult the circumstance. We arent in control (and never will be) but we must learn to trust ourselves to the one who is sovereign
1 Lord, I seek refuge in you; let me never be disgraced. Save me by your righteousness. 2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me. 3 For you are my rock and my fortress; you lead and guide me for your name’s sake.
4 You will free me from the net that is secretly set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit; you have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth. 6 I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love because you have seen my affliction. You know the troubles of my soul 8 and have not handed me over to the enemy. You have set my feet in a spacious place. 9 Be gracious to me, Lord, because I am in distress; my eyes are worn out from frustration— my whole being as well.
10 Indeed, my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my strength has failed because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. 11 I am ridiculed by all my adversaries and even by my neighbors. I am dreaded by my acquaintances; those who see me in the street run from me.
12 I am forgotten: gone from memory like a dead person—like broken pottery. 13 I have heard the gossip of many; terror is on every side. When they conspired against me, they plotted to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
15 The course of my life is in your power; rescue me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors. 16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me by your faithful love. 17 Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on you. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them be quiet in Sheol.
18 Let lying lips that arrogantly speak against the righteous in proud contempt be silenced. 19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you. In the presence of everyone you have acted for those who take refuge in you.
20 You hide them in the protection of your presence; you conceal them in a shelter from human schemes, from quarrelsome tongues. 21 Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me in a city under siege.
22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to you for help. 23 Love the Lord, all his faithful ones. The Lord protects the loyal, but fully repays the arrogant. 24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.
There Are Evil Plots
There Are Evil Plots
1 Lord, I seek refuge in you; let me never be disgraced. Save me by your righteousness. 2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me. 3 For you are my rock and my fortress; you lead and guide me for your name’s sake.
4 You will free me from the net that is secretly set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit; you have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth. 6 I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love because you have seen my affliction. You know the troubles of my soul 8 and have not handed me over to the enemy. You have set my feet in a spacious place.
13 I have heard the gossip of many; terror is on every side. When they conspired against me, they plotted to take my life.
David comes before the LORD God and we can tell from the context of the Psalm that David is in trouble. There is a net set in secret that lies waiting to trap him - verse 4. Affliction is present and visible in his life, and his very soul is troubled - verse 7. David speaks of the enemy verse 8 and also of those many who speak gossip and put terror all around him. Conspiring against him, THEY are plotting against his very life. See here and this isnt new but definitely bears repeating and for us to remember - but David was not free from difficulty and from enemies seeking to harm him, and the truth is we arent free either. Just because we follow the LORD doesnt not mean we will not experience difficulty and even evil plots.
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.
8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
When evil is out to plot in secret and we cannot know the traps set or the plans put in motion what does one do? David calls out for the LORD and his desire is to never be disgraced or for his enemies to gloat over him. David says He seeks refuge in the LORD. Save me by your righteousness.
Perhaps like us David was being afflicted by his enemies or by the enemy with the ear worm. You know the worm that speaks condemnation into your ear. Declaring your hypocrisy - he claims to follow God but look at what he did with Bathsheba and her husband. How does his family life reflect someone who follows God? His kids run amuck and bring shame into his house. These lies mixed with our own guilt tells us we arent good enough and that we are hypocrites. This is why David cries out save me by YOUR righteousness. We must be saved by His righteousness because we have none.
Listen closely rescue me quickly - be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me. You are my rock and my fortress. You lead and guide me for YOUR name’s sake. David is reaffirming his trust in the LORD in the time of crisis. The evil plot not only tells us we are hypocrites but often times the evil plot is working to move our trust from God. David calls out those who trust and are devoted to worthless idols for he knows there is only one who can save.
David seems to be unwavering in his trust of the LORD. The reason for this is because He knows God outside of the evil plots happening to him. He desires to be lead and guided by God because God will do it for His own namesake - verse 3. He knows the Lord as strength and defense. David’s life was built upon a desire to know and follow God. David calls upon God in specific ways because He knows God specifically.
In evil times we may be tempted to trust everything else - or in worthless idols like David talks about here. When we know the LORD though - one we know idols are worthless and not worthy to be trusted and two we know the LORD as our rock and fortress our savior. We begun to know God through His salvation. Like David we can entrust our spirit in God’s hands - because He is our redeemer.
The enemy plots against us and wants us to feel abandoned by God. Our sin, our past and says that they have come and we are getting what we deserve. David calls out and says I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful (hesed love). Why because God in His faithful love has seen David’s affliction and knows the troubles of his soul and has rescued him anyway.
13 The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
Our enemy will condemn us long after God has forgiven us and even if the evil is a result of our own sin we can still run to God as our refuge and His faithful love will receive us.
This Life Is Painful
This Life Is Painful
9 Be gracious to me, Lord, because I am in distress; my eyes are worn out from frustration— my whole being as well. 10 Indeed, my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my strength has failed because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.
11 I am ridiculed by all my adversaries and even by my neighbors. I am dreaded by my acquaintances; those who see me in the street run from me. 12 I am forgotten: gone from memory like a dead person—like broken pottery.
David calls out to the LORD again in his distress. Describing his eyes being worn out in frustration - this denotes a weeping and crying that has worn out the eyes and he says his whole being. His life is consumed with grief and years with groaning. David declares his strength failing because of his own sin. My bones waste away. David describes a life of pain.
Emotional pain and sorrow fill this life - for David and for us alike. Life is painful - there is hurt, heartache, suffering, loss, grief, anguish, depression, oppression, trials and troubles.
Physical ailment - pain, fleeting strength, getting old is not easy and suffering through illness, injury, weakness, chronic pain etc is painful
Rejection as a reality as well. I am forgotten - gone from memory like a dead person and like broken pottery. Put out of the minds of people. Like a broken vessel worthy to be discarded and forgotten. Sometimes those in emotional and physical illness are cast aside - people flee from the presence of
Perhaps you find yourself on one side or the other of this. On the one hand you have a friend, neighbor, family member who has written you off, treats you as dead. You are not alone - David too experienced this - the comfort is not that others are miserable like us — the comfort is found in what David says in verse 14
14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
Even though others write you off, ignore you, slander we have the choice to follow David’s example and trust the LORD. You are my God and You are all I need. God is all we need! The antidote for despair is faith.
4 because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
Trust His Hand
Trust His Hand
15 The course of my life is in your power; rescue me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors. 16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me by your faithful love.
17 Lord, do not let me be disgraced when I call on you. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them be quiet in Sheol. 18 Let lying lips that arrogantly speak against the righteous in proud contempt be silenced.
19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you. In the presence of everyone you have acted for those who take refuge in you. 20 You hide them in the protection of your presence; you conceal them in a shelter from human schemes, from quarrelsome tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me in a city under siege. 22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to you for help.
David now turns from the stress, anxiety and pressure of the evil plots and the pain of life to express Trust in God again. David declares the course of my life is in your power and David asks the LORD to rescue him from the power of his enemies and persecutors. David is saying God you are in control and if you are in control then my enemies have no power but what you allow.
How great is your goodness God which you have stored up for those who fear you. In the presence or sight of everyone you have acted for those who have taken refuge in you. You hide them in the protection of your presence. Our protection isnt found in ease and comfort. Our protection in life and its troubles is in the presence of the LORD despite our troubles and circumstances.
David blesses the LORD for his faithful love. Describing his situation as a city under siege - constant surrounding attack. In the midst of this trouble David says I have in my alarm said I am cut off from your sight LORD. How many of us do that? In our trials and troubles and stress and anxiety how many of us say we are cut off? God is done with us, God isnt paying attention. David recognizes however that God heard his pleading.
23 Love the Lord, all his faithful ones. The Lord protects the loyal, but fully repays the arrogant. 24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.
David calls on all those who are faithful to love the LORD, trust the LORD - He protects the loyal and repays the arrogant. Be strong and let your heart be courageous - all you who put your hope in the LORD. The idea is that when we take courage God gives courage and strengthens our hearts to trust Him.
Conclusion
Conclusion
This psalm certainly calls for us to trust one whom is sovereign despite what we go through in life. Trusting His goodness and character.
Hudson Taylor the great missionary to China endured much stress, pressures and anxieties including narrowly escaping death. He is quoted as saying “It doesnt matter really how great the pressure is; it only matters where the pressure lies. See that it never comes between you and the LORD - then the greater the pressure, the more is presses you to His breast.”
Most significantly Jesus meditated on this Psalm. His final words on the cross were a quote from this Psalm.
46 And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” Saying this, he breathed his last.
The stress He endured bearing our sins - entrusting Himself to the sovereign personal God - so shall we!