Well, good morning. My name is Matt, and I get to run the kids ministry around here, but thankful to be in Big Church with you all today. But today we're continuing our series in Psalms, and we're going to be looking at Psalm 31 today. So this here is a Psalm of David, but it was written during a real time of distress. And one of the questions that scholars wrestle with is what was exactly happening in David's life at the time where he wrote this? Some think maybe he was running from King Saul, others think maybe this was during Absalom's rebellion. Some think that maybe it was during a battle with an enemy army. But the truth is, we simply don't know. But in some ways, that's a gift. Because instead of tying this Psalm to one specific event, God gives us a prayer that speaks to many seasons of hardship. It reminds us that while our circumstances may be different than David's, the God who met David in his suffering is the same God who meets us in ours.

And although we don't know exactly what was happening, we do know what David was feeling. He felt opposed. He felt rejected. He felt forgotten. Yet in the middle of all that, David didn't lose sight of God. What makes this Psalm so powerful isn't that we know what was going on. Rather, we get to see how David responded. He describes himself as worn down. He's worn down physically, emotionally, even socially. He speaks of grief, draining his strength, of people avoiding him, of whispering campaigns, conspiracies, and fear on every side. And this isn't a passing frustration. This is the kind of season that lingers.

And as we get into the Psalm today, you'll notice that David doesn't present a neat, linear argument. He doesn't move from question to solution in a straight line. He moves the way real life often feels. He shifts back and forth, speaking words of deep trust in one moment, and then describing intense distress in the next. He prays. He cries out. He reflects. But then he comes back to truth. And then he seems to circle through it over again.

Some of this Psalm may sound familiar to you because it is quoted elsewhere in Scripture, but most notably, Jesus quoted verse five while he was on the cross. He said, "Into your hand, I commit my spirit." Now, Psalm 31 is not a messianic Psalm. David's not predicting the crucifixion when he wrote these words. He was pouring out his own heart to God out of his own pain and suffering. But centuries later, Jesus found David's words to be the perfect expression of his own heart. So today, as we focus on David, remember, he's not the hero of this story, but he shows us what it looks like to walk with God through difficulty. And also, this is not a Psalm written after everything worked out. It's a prayer from the middle of pain. David teaches us what faith looks like when life is confusing, when enemies surround us, and even our own sin weighs on us, even when we don't know how the story is going to end. So let's jump into this Psalm today. And as we do, I want us to be thinking about what David is teaching us when maybe our life begins to feel like this.

Verse one, "In you, O Lord, do I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me. Incline your ear to me. Rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me. For you are my rock and fortress, and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me. You take me out of the net that they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit. You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols because I trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love because you have seen my affliction. You have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of my enemy. You have set my feet in a broad place."

So we see here that David begins, he opens up with trust, not because life is easy, but because God is dependable. In verse 1 he says, "In you, O Lord, I seek refuge." He's saying that God is his rock. When everything else in life seems to be shifting, you are stable. He calls God his fortress. He's saying that you're my safe place in time of danger. You know, if David's life was supposed to be easy, there would be no need for a fortress. David doesn't expect the elimination of battles, rather he knows where to run when they come. And I love this. He calls God his guide. He's saying, "Lord, you stay with me. You set the pace. I trust you because you're going to see things that I can't." And he calls God his Redeemer. He says that, "I know that you're near, Lord. I trust your unchanging character." This is so important because when we're going through times like this, David shows us where to run to first in our difficult circumstances. Often our first instinct of where to run and how fast we want to get there reveals a lot about us. David's not denying the danger. He's just declaring where the safety is.

Verse 9, "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress. My eye is wasted from grief, my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity and my bones waste away. Because of all of my adversaries, I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors. And the object of dread to my acquaintances, those who see me in the street flee from me. I've been forgotten like one who is dead. I've become like a broken vessel, for I hear the whispering of many, terror on every side, as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life."

So here we see a little bit of that roller coaster that David seems to be on. He just gets done expressing great trust in verses 1 through 8. And then here in verse 9, he's crying out in distress. He goes from calling God his rock and his refuge to now calling out to his Lord. David doesn't hide his pain, right? He doesn't try to dress it up with fancy talk. He calls it out honestly before the Lord. And we see that David's distress, it's affecting every part of him. It's affecting him physically. He says, "My eyes are worn out. My strength has failed. My bones waste away." He's affected emotionally. He says that he's consumed with grief. Even socially, David says, "My enemies, they're spreading lies about me and my neighbors are believing them. And even my friends, when I see him in the street, they turn around and walk the other way." His circumstances are so bad that he says he feels forgotten and like a piece of broken pottery completely worthless.

But there's another part of David's crying out that really stands out to me. You know, because when I often go through difficult times, I could say a lot of these things that David would say, but there's something in here that I often want to leave out. It's what he says in verse 10, "My strength has failed because of my iniquity." Yeah, David's got enemies. People are gossiping against him. Friends no longer want anything to do with him, but he doesn't excuse his own actions from his circumstances. He openly confesses his sin and in doing so he reminds us that sin drains us. Guilt steals our joy. Keeping sin hidden consumes our energy. Bitterness will keep us awake at night. Pride will isolate us from others. Unforgiveness will weigh us down. In other words, sin is exhausting. So he confesses it. And David isn't playing the victim here. He's just talking honestly before the Lord. He says, "Lord, some of what I'm carrying here is a result of my own sin." And this takes humility. I think one of the greatest marks of spiritual maturity is being able to say two things at the same time. To say, "I have been sinned against and I have sinned myself."

Verse 14, "But I trust in you, O Lord. I say, you are my God. My times are in your hand. Rescue me from the hand of my enemies, from my persecutors. Make your face shine on your servants. Save me in your steadfast love. O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you. Let the wicked be put to shame. Let them go silently to Sheol. Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt."

So after describing his pain, David returns to trust. And that's not the only shift that we see David make here. He also goes from looking outward to now looking inward. After talking about his enemies and talking about those who have abandoned him, David says, "But I trust in you." These two words, "But I" mark just a pivotal moment in the Psalm. David has a deliberate shift in focus. He's saying, "I can't control what they say about me. I can't change what they think about me, but I know who my trust is in. You are my God and you're greater than my troubles."

Verse 15, we see the most well-known part of this Psalm where David says, "My times are in your hand." Now, this is the second time that David has referred to God's hand in the Psalm. Back in verse 5, David said, "Into your hand I commit my spirit." And there he's committing his life to the Lord. But here in verse 15, David now says, "I'm committing my times to the Lord." So think about that word, times. David isn't talking about a clock or a calendar. He's talking about every season of life. He's talking about his victories as well as his failures, his joy as well as his grief, his waiting, his suffering, his future, even his unknowns. In other words, David is saying, "Every chapter of my life belongs to you."

Now, this is important. David isn't placing his times into God's hands for the first time as if they weren't already there. He's acknowledging what has always been true. He's saying, "God, you are always sovereign over my life." He says, "You've always been present in every season. You've always been working even when I couldn't see it." David is now choosing to rest in that reality, that everything is in the hands of the Lord. You know, when we truly believe that our times are in God's hands, it completely changes our view of difficulty, right? Since we know who God is and we know what he has done when we face a time of struggle, rather than saying, "Oh no, here we go again," we say, "How is God going to show his faithfulness to me this time?" So often we can think, "My boss controls my future," or "The doctor's report controls my future," or "The economy controls my future," or "My past controls the future," and dare I say it, "The political party in charge controls my future." David says, "No, my times are in God's hands."

And Anthony reminded us last week that when David is speaking about his enemies, remember, he's not seeking revenge. He's not asking for vengeance. He's entrusting justice to God. David refuses to take matters into his own hands because he knows his life and ultimately justice itself is in God's hands.

Verse 19. "Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and work for those who take refuge in you in the sight of the children of mankind. In the cover of your presence, you hide me from the plots of men. You store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city. I had said in my alarm, I am cut off from your sight, but you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help."

Now, David shifts from asking to praising. He says that God's goodness is abundant. He says that God protects those who take refuge in him, that he shelters his people. And David even admits that he panicked. When he says, "I had said in my alarm, I am cut off from your sight." Have you ever been there? Maybe not with those exact words, but maybe you've thought, "God, where are you? Do you even see what I'm going through? Have you forgotten about me?" David says, "I thought those things. I said those things, but I was wrong. God still heard me when I thought he didn't."

But isn't it interesting that David doesn't wait until the end of his suffering, the end of the story before he begins to praise God? You know, we often say something like, "God, when you bring me through this season, I will give you all the praise." And we absolutely should look back and praise God for what he has done, but David's teaching something else. He's teaching us to praise God in the middle of the battle. When we're feeling alone, when we're feeling cut off, when we're in our alarm, as David said, when our peace has been replaced with panic. You see, because praise is not just a response to God's blessings. Praise is a declaration of God's character.

So let me ask you, what comes to your mind in difficult seasons? Is it, "Why me?" Is it, "God, do you care?" Is it, "This feels hopeless." Guess what? God can handle those questions. David spoke honestly before the Lord. And it's okay to ask those questions, but what David reminds us is that we need to also intentionally remind ourselves that God is good. God is faithful. God hears me. God has not abandoned me. And God is worthy of my praise.

David closes the Psalm verses 23 and 24 where he says, "Love the Lord all you his saints. The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. Be strong and let your heart take courage all you who wait for the Lord."

So we saw earlier how David shifted from an outward focus to an inward focus. Now in these final verses, he's shifting outward again, but not towards his enemies or those persecuting him. Instead, he's now turning to God. People. David closes the Psalm by encouraging other believers. Why? Because somewhere along the line, David realized that God doesn't waste our suffering. Now we want to be careful here because God doesn't just allow hardship in our lives so that we can become someone else's illustration. His primary work is always in us. He's shaping our character. He's deepening our faith. He's teaching us to trust him and he's making us more like Jesus. But one of the byproducts of that work is that other people get to see God's faithfulness on display. They watch us trust when life is uncertain. They they watch us pray when we don't have the answers. They watch us cling to Christ when everything else is falling apart. And that gives them the courage to trust him too.

That's exactly what David is doing here. First, he says, "Love the Lord." David didn't let the suffering, the difficult times, the enemies, the persecution, the whisperings, the lies, he didn't let them harden his heart. Rather, it deepened his love for his Lord. Secondly, he tells other believers that you need to be strong. Now this doesn't mean to just grit your teeth and to press on. It's the strength that we receive from the Lord when he's our rock, our fortress, and our times are in his hands. And finally, he says, "Take courage, all of you who wait for the Lord." You see, our circumstances may not change immediately. Waiting on God isn't easy. It's easy to trust God after the answer comes or when the suffering stops. But David's calling God's people to have the courage to trust God while they're still waiting.

You know, as I studied for this psalm, I was asking myself a few questions. So as our application today, I'd like to just ask you those same questions this morning. And the first one is this. Where do you run first? Do you run to social media? Your bank account? Food? Alcohol? Maybe you go to work and just get buried in busyness? Maybe you run to anger or maybe you withdraw from others into isolation. You know what I usually do? I like to run to another person, right? I want somebody to just tell me it's going to be okay. I want someone to understand what I'm going through. I want someone to sympathize with me. And sometimes I just want someone to agree with me and to tell me that I'm right in this situation. Now hear me carefully. There's nothing wrong with leaning on God's people that he has placed in our lives. God often comforts us through other believers. But here's the question. Where do I run to first? Do I seek God's face first or someone else's opinion? Do I pour my heart out to God first or do I immediately pick up my phone, jump on social media, or even ask AI? David had friends. David sought wise counsel. But before he went to anyone else, he ran to God. That's what I find so challenging. David's first instinct was not to broadcast his pain. It was to bring it to the Lord.

Question two. Are you being honest with God? Honest about your suffering and honest about your sin. God doesn't just hear polished prayers. It's okay to talk to God like a loving father. Too often we think that biblical faith is just smiling through the pain. It's not. It's crying out to God in the middle of it. But honesty with God is not just telling him about what others have done to you. It's also telling him the truth about yourself. You see, we tend to fall into one of two traps. Some people are honest about their pain, but not their sin. It's like everything is somebody else's fault. Others are honest about their sin, but not their pain because they think that good Christians don't struggle. So they just pretend that everything's okay. David doesn't either. He tells God about his enemies. He tells God about his grief, tells him about his fears, and he tells him about his own sin. So if you're here today and you're physically worn out, maybe you're emotionally worn out, maybe you're socially worn out, or maybe you're carrying the weight of sin, you can turn to God. He's with you. He offers you forgiveness. He brings healing where you need it the most. And that's what a healthy relationship with God looks like.

Question three. Do you trust God enough to truly say, "My times are in your hand"? David's talking about every season of life. The joyful times, painful times, the confusing times, the waiting times, the celebrating times, the grieving times. Every one of them is in God's hands. But isn't it interesting how we tend to like to divide our lives, our times, into two categories. There's those things that are out of our control, right? The diagnosis, what my adult child chooses to do, the economy. We take these things that are out of our control, and we say, "God, those are yours." But then there are things that we try to keep a strong grip on, my schedule, my finances, my plans, my reputation. We say, "God, you can handle those things that I can't manage, but let me handle the rest." David doesn't pray that way. It's not sometimes. It's all times are in your hands.

And finally, are your circumstances shaping your view of God, or is God's character shaping your view of circumstances? Remember, David's circumstances didn't change throughout the Psalm. His enemies were still there. The lies were still being told. The danger was still real. But he says, "You're faithful. God, you're good. You're sovereign. You're my rock and my fortress."

Can I share something personal with you? About 10 years ago, my wife, Lisa, and I walked through a season like this. It just so reminded me of that when I was studying through Psalm 31. Truth is, there were lies being told about us. There were whispering campaigns. There were people making assumptions without knowing the whole story. Now, don't start looking around the room. It wasn't anybody here. This was outside. But as I studied Psalm 31, I found myself thinking, "I know what David's talking about, right? And I wish I could just stand here today and tell you that Lisa and I responded exactly, perfectly in every situation, right? That we trusted perfectly, that we didn't question, that we never got discouraged, that we never got angry, that we didn't think some of those things or say some of those things. But that wouldn't be true. There were days when we were afraid, we were discouraged, we wondered what God was doing. And even though we didn't walk through that season perfectly, God was faithful. He never abandoned us. He carried us through. It wasn't easy. It took a really long time. And if I'm honest, there's still some scars. But what we learned is that my circumstances didn't change who God is. He was faithful in the hardest days as He was in the easiest. And looking back, I can honestly say what David said in the Psalm that my circumstances tried to shape my view of God, but God kept teaching me to let His character shape the way I view those circumstances.

So if I could just encourage you with a final thought today, whatever you're carrying, whether it's a diagnosis you received or a burden that you're facing or an uncertainty that lies ahead, run to your rock. Take refuge in your fortress, follow your guide, and rest in your Redeemer. And as David said, be able to say to God, my times are in your hand.

Would you pray with me? Would you pray with me? God, that's our prayer. It's easy to say, Lord, but it's often much harder to do, to trust in the middle of pain, suffering. When people are against you, when things are not your own fault, I just pray that you would encourage us today, that you would remind us of your unchanging, your faithful love. Thank you for being our fortress, God. The hard times will never be gone, but there's a safe place we can go. But I especially thank you that you're my guide, God. You're with me. You're with me everywhere I go. You go before me. You lead me. You lead me. You point out the things that are going to trip me up because you love me. Oh, God, thank you so much for your love. Thank you so much for your son. It's in his name that we pray. Amen.

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