Psalm 31
Time with the Lord in the Psalms! The notes you’ll find here are the nuts & bolts of my efforts to understand & apply the Psalms to my life. I hope that they’ll be an encouragement as you glean the Scriptures for guidance & encouragement.
You’ll notice 3 basic pieces to my notes: A basic outline, the question “What sticks out this time?” and the final question “What difference does this make?” These are the three regular parts of my time in the word. The outline will vary in length and detail. It’s simply a product of my efforts to understand & keep track of the flow of each Psalm. The first question is an effort to stay sensitive to what God is featuring for me as I read that day. The final question is an effort to apply the truth to my life – my thoughts, my choices, etc.
I want to profit from God’s word. As your brother in Christ, I want you to profit from it. I want you to carry these 3 basic pieces into every passage you study anywhere in Scripture.
Enjoy your time in the Word!
A Basic Outline
REQUEST to the One I trust: 1-2
..let me never be ashamed
..deliver me
..bow down
..deliver me
..be my rock…a refuge
REASON I make request to You: 3a
..You are my rock, fortress = source of safety
GOAL of my request for guidance: 3b
..for Your name’s sake (Your reputation.)
REQUEST: pull me out of the net, 4a
REASON: You are my strength, 4b
DECLARATION of trust & devotion, 5-6
..into Your hand I commit
..I have hated
..but I trust in the Lord
REASON for praise, 7-8
..You have considered my trouble
..You have known my soul in adversities
..have not shut me up
..You have set my feet
REASON for request for mercy, 9-13
..I am in trouble
..my eye wastes away
..my life is spent with grief…sighing
..my strength fails
..my bones waste away
..I am a reproach…repulsive
..I am forgotten
..I hear the slander of many
..fear is on every side
DECLARATION of trust, 14-15a
..I trust in You
..You are my God
..My times are in Your hand
REQUEST for deliverance, 15-18
..deliver me from the hand of my enemies
..make Your face shine
..save me for Your mercies sake
..do not let me be ashamed
..let the wicked be ashamed
..let them be silent in the grave
..let the lying lips be put to silence
DECLARATION of personal praise, 19-22
..how great is Your goodness
..You shall hide them
..You shall keep them
..blessed be the Lord…for He has shown…
CALL to devotion, 23-24
..love the Lord
..be of good courage
What sticks out this time?
“You are my rock and my fortress”
Where does this make a difference?
It’s a fresh reminder that I am not the source of my safety. You are. You are the safety that I need in the field… at a moment’s notice. You are my rock. But You are also the regular, planned on place of safety. Turning to You and trusting in You is part of my life strategy and not only where I turn in the moment of unforeseen crisis. “You are my rock and my fortress.”
What sticks out this time?
“Be of good courage…He shall strengthen you…” Having admitted to a time when he lacked courage (I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”) and the Lord’s response of faithfulness, David exhorts us to not give up. God will give strength.
Where does this make a difference?
Sometimes it feels like I’ve been cut off. I’m too quick to make conclusions about You and the significance of Your delay in response. I’m like Naomi In Ruth 1. May You find me waiting courageously for You… not only because of David’s exhortation but also because of the countless times that You have provided and strengthened me.