Psalm 31

Over the past two months, the turbulence in my soul has been great. My emotions are all over
the place and I seem to experience extremes of joy, sadness, anger, anxiety, and peace all
within the context of each day. Psalm 31 comforted me today because David’s words express
the same type of emotional swings. David starts the Psalm in confidence with who God is. He
says in verse 3, “You are my rock and my fortress,” and in verse 7, “I will be glad and rejoice in
your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.”
He then goes on to cry out in his grief and pain. In verse 9, “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in
distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away.” Near the end of the
Psalm, David returns to his confidence in the Lord and His plans like in verse 15, “My future is in
your hands.”

I am glad to see this pattern in David’s prayer to the Lord; it helps me to remember that I am not alone. It is a good reminder to take the time to process the current health and economic crises we face. First of all, this is hard; it is a traumatic experience and 2020 looks differently than we expected. As a result, we are all going through the stages of grief (1.Denial or Isolation 2. Anger 3. Bargaining 4. Depression 5. Acceptance) to varying extents. It is important to take time to lament and recognize difficult feelings so that we can move forward. Share your thoughts with the Lord - he cares for you and wants to hear them.

Action Steps
1. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. Praise God for his faithfulness. He is the one who does a
sanctifying work in your spirit, soul, and body.
2. Worship God and listen to Good Grace by Hillsong United.
3. Take time to journal your thoughts today. What can you praise God for today? What can you
cry out to God for?

2 Comments


Susan Chipps - May 1st, 2020 at 10:57am

Thank you for expressing how we all are feeling as we daily face this pandemic. This Psalm is so encouraging and verse 21 truly speaks into our current situation: "Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege (city in quarantine) ". We have this promise that as we stay close to Him, He shows up daily to encourage our weary hearts!!

Laura Norland - May 1st, 2020 at 2:59pm

Thanks for this devotional. I can certainly relate to all the fluctuating emotions that Psalm 31 talks about.

I love the Psalm's because to me they reflect the truth of David's beautifully expressed emotional feelings.

The intimacy that is shared with God mirrors my hearts desire. During this Corona Virus pandemic we are returned to grief in all it's forms, but it is comforting to me to know that Our Lord hears our cries and prayers. He will bring us through this dark storm,and show us the treasure at the end of His rainbow. His promise still stands.

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