Psalms 31-33

Psalms 31-33 - Click to read it!

Throughout many of the early chapters of the book of Psalms, King David spends a lot of his time sharing the pain he's experienced in life. But after articulating that pain, he always turns his attention to the Lord and shares how wonderful He is in delivering him out of all these troubles. Today's chapter reading is no different. Once again, we see David sharing the depths of his painful emotions in chapter 31:

"Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress. Tears blur my eyes. My body and soul are withering away. ¹⁰ I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within. ¹¹ I am scorned by all my enemies and despised by my neighbors even my friends are afraid to come near me."

Can you relate to some of these emotions? I believe that's why God allowed David to be so transparent with his feelings. It's why they're in the Bible today. When we read how this great man of God experienced the same hurts and feelings we experience today - and how he turned to God for help and witnessed His deliverance - it gives us hope and insight in how to turn to the Lord for help.

If you could sit down and chat with King David about your trials, I believe he would offer the same advice he gave at the end of chapter 31:

"Love the Lord, all you godly ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes the arrogant. ²⁴ So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!" 

In Chapter 32 we see David offering some great advice. He admits that for a period of time he lived with unconfessed sin in his life. As he reflects on it, he notices some life changing principles. He noticed the following:

"When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. ⁴ Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat."

Who wants to go through life feeling that way? None of us do. That's why David spends the rest of this chapter praising God for forgiving him as well as how good it feels to be spiritually clean before a holy God!

If you've got unconfessed sin in your life, you'll never feel right. There will always be a nagging issue in your life. You may not quite understand it, but it's a weird feeling. David noticed that his life was taking a downhill turn. It's almost like going through life with a pebble in your shoe! If you've got unconfessed sin your life...take time to stop what you're doing right now, and go to God in prayer. Reflect on anything that you're doing that's not pleasing to him and ask for His help to stop. In many cases it can be as simple as shaking your shoe loose of a nagging pebble. If you don't do it, life will continue to be uncomfortable in various ways. You were made to be holy, even as holy as God. That's why unconfessed sin has no place in the life of a true believer in Christ. It's just not normal.

Wow...I really like Psalms 33. It is an outstanding word of encouragement! David provides us with some GREAT reasons to praise the Lord. Here are a few I see from this chapter:

1. Praise Him for His word is true and we can trust whatever He does! Even the things in life that go awry. He is in control and is always looking out for our best.

2. Praise Him for the power of His word! He spoke and the heaven and earth were created. Wow...that's power! That's why Jesus is called "The Word" in the John 1:1. The Jews knew God as one who simple spoke a word and the universe came into existence. God's word brings life!

3. Praise Him for His ability to watch over us, protect us, and notice everything we're doing and what we're going through! It is an amazing feeling to know He's keeping a sharp eye out for you. That's why David encourages to not trust in any other thing to protect us. In his day, it was his war horse. But David says, "You can trust in that!"  He knows acutely, after fighting so many battles, it's God who is the only one you can trust in tough times.

What did you learn from these chapters? Are there any scripture verses that mean something to you in particular?