Psalm 31: Day 6

Psalm 31: Day 6 of our 10-day devotional journey through the Psalms, you'll gain fresh insights and spiritual strength each morning.  This series encourages you to offer your shortcomings to God, trusting in His ability to turn them into sources of strength and glory. Whether you're a morning go-getter or a lover of the snooze button, these reflections aim to imbue your day with peace and purpose found in His Word. Join us for an enriching experience that promises to renew your spirit and ignite your faith.

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Episode Transcript

Julie (00:19):
Kia ora, and welcome to Whispers of Grace, a place for
women to be encouraged by God'sholy word.
I'm your host, julie Colbeth,and I am overjoyed to dig into
the Bible with you today.
Psalm 31 is titled the Lord, aFortress in Adversity a Psalm of

(00:40):
David.
The Lord, a fortress inadversity, a Psalm of David.
In you, o Lord, I put my trust.
Let me never be ashamed.
Deliver me in yourrighteousness, bow down your ear
to me, deliver me speedily, bemy rock of refuge, a fortress of

(01:02):
defense, to save me, for youare my rock and my fortress.
Therefore, for your name's sake, lead me and guide me, pull me
out of the net which they havesecretly laid for me, for you
are my strength.
Into your hand I commit myspirit.
You have redeemed me, o Lord,god of truth.

(01:28):
I have hated those who regarduseless idols, but I trust in
the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice inyour mercy, for you have
considered my trouble.
You have known my soul andadversities and have not shut me
into the hand of the enemy.
You have set my feet in a wideplace.
Have mercy on me, o Lord, for Iam in trouble.

(01:51):
My eye wastes away with grief.
Yes, my soul and my body, formy life is spent with grief and
my years with sighing.
My strength fails because of myiniquity and my bones waste
away.
I am a reproach among all of myenemies, but especially among
my neighbors, and I am repulsiveto my acquaintances.

(02:13):
Those who see me outside fleefrom me.
I am forgotten like a dead manout of mind.
I am like a broken vessel, forI hear the slander of many.
Fear is on every side Whilethey take counsel together
against me.
They scheme to take away mylife.
But as for me, I trust in you, oLord.

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I say you are my God.
My times are in your hand.
Deliver me from the hand of myenemies and from those who
persecute me.
Make your face shine upon yourservant.
Do not let me be ashamed, oLord, for I have called upon you

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.
Let the wicked be ashamed.
Let them be silent in the grave.
Let the lying lips be put tosilence, which speak insolent
things, proudly andcontemptuously against the
righteous.
Oh, how great is your goodnesswhich you have laid up for those
who fear you, which you haveprepared for those who trust in

(03:18):
you in the presence of the sonsof men.
You shall hide them in thesecret place of your presence,
from the plots of man.
You shall keep them secretly ina pavilion from the strife of
tongues.
Blessed be the Lord, for he hasshown me his marvelous kindness
in a strong city.

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For I said in my haste, I amcut off from before your eyes.
Nevertheless, you heard thevoice of my supplications when I
cried out to you oh, love theLord, all you his saints, for
the Lord preserves the faithfuland fully repays the proud
person.
Be of good courage and he shallstrengthen your heart, all you

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who hope in the Lord.
You can hear the desperate heartof David crying out for God to
be his defense, his rock and hisfortress.
David is desperate andemotional in the midst of
attacks from his enemies, andnear the end of this psalm, in
verse 22, he admits that in hishaste he thought that he had

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been cut off from the Lord.
He was so discouraged anddespairing that he thought that
God had abandoned him.
Have you ever felt like yoursituation was so grim that
surely the Lord must not belooking after you anymore?
I know I have found myselfdoubting his goodness in deep
times of trouble, but in ourpsalm David realizes God hadn't

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abandoned him and he praises Godfor his patience and confesses.
Nevertheless, you heard thevoice of my supplications when I
cried out to you.
God did not respond to David'sprayer because of David's
unwavering confidence and trust.
God responded to David becauseGod is good and God is kind and

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he's loving.
He took care of David whenDavid was too weak to even
confess the nearness of his God.
Paul the apostle experienced thesame desolation that caused
doubt and unrest, and he wroteabout it in 2 Corinthians,
chapter 1, verses 8 through 10.
For we do not want you to beignorant, brethren, of our

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trouble, which came to us inAsia, that we were burdened
beyond measure, above strength,so that we despaired even of
life.
Yes, we had the sentence ofdeath in ourselves that we
should not trust in ourselvesbut in God, who raises the dead,
who delivered us from so greata death and does deliver us, in

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whom we trust that he will stilldeliver us.
Paul confesses that he wastroubled, above his own strength
and burdened beyond measure.
He struggled so deeply that hewanted to die.
But through this experiencePaul learned that it wasn't

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through his own strength orendurance that the work of God
was accomplished.
Paul learned afresh what itmeant to trust.
What it meant to trust not inhimself, but in the amazing
power of God.
This is the God that we serve,a God that is acquainted with
our weakness and meets us in it.

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God's grace never quits.
In fact, his grace is magnifiedin our weaknesses and failure.
Magnified in our weaknesses andfailure.
At the end of Psalm 31, davidfully embraced his joy and
celebration.
In my mind he is practicallyhopping on his toes as he

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encourages all of us.
Oh, love the Lord, all you, hissaints, for the Lord preserves
the faithful and fully repaysthe proud person.
Be of good courage, and heshall strengthen your heart, all
you who hope in the Lord.
Isaiah 40, 28 says this haveyou not known, have you not

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heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the
earth.
He does not faint or grow weary.
His understanding isunsearchable.
He gives power to the faint andto him who has no might.
He increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and beweary, and young men shall fall

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exhausted.
But they who wait on the Lordshall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wingslike eagles and they shall run
and not be weary.
And they shall walk and notfaint.
When we are weary and exhaustedand our strength is failing, we

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need to look at Jesus and waiton him.
Rest in his presence today, myfriends.
Turn your hearts towards himand let the truth of his
character wash over you like aspring rain.
You.