1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness. Psalm 31
It would be good to end the week with some positive declarations about the God we serve and David gives many in the opening verses of this psalm. God is a REFUGE FOR HIS PEOPLE AND DOESN’T WANTS US PUT TO SHAME.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my ROCK OF REFUGE,
A STRONG FORTRESS TO SAVE ME.
3 SINCE YOU ARE MY ROCK AND MY FORTRESS,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
David recognises that God is the stronghold of his life. I imagine he was thrown back to depending on God time and again. His enemies were so much greater and a constant threat to him and those who journeyed with him. It was out of these days of relentless pressure that many of his psalms, songs of praise, were written. David had to contend for God’s prophetic plans for his life and no doubt we’ll all face similar times while we live here on earth.
4 KEEP ME FROM THE TRAP THAT IS SET FOR ME,
FOR YOU ARE MY REFUGE.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
We need to ask God for His protection and guidance, to keep us out of harms way. David couldn’t afford to be careless or even casual in his daily life. I believe that many times God delivers us and we’re not even aware of it.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6
In Jesus’ model prayer He taught His own disciples to claim God’s protection against their enemy.
8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place. Psalm 31
I believe the Lord has kept many of us from falling into the hands of our enemy. Circumstances have been difficult, but without the Lord’s help they would have been much worse. However the second part of the verse is still to be fulfilled and that’s our hope in the day we live in, THE SPACIOUS PLACE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE NOW, IN THE PRESENT DAY.
24 ‘“‘The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face towards you
and give you peace.’”
27 ‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’ Numbers 6
Immanuel, God is with us!