Psalm 31:9–16 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 31:9–16 on biblegateway.com
Verse 9Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.
Verse 10For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.
Verse 11I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.
Verse 12I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.
Verse 13For I hear the whispering of many- terror all around!- as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
Verse 14But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, "You are my God."
Verse 15My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Verse 16Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
Devotion
The lament of Psalm 31 can sound exaggerated and paranoid to some. It may be difficult to imagine personal situations that would lead me to call myself an “object of dread to my acquaintances.” But the psalm’s stark, vivid images paint the very real plight of so many suffering people—whether they are living with afflictions of various kinds or navigating oppressive political systems. In whatever form it takes and whenever it comes, our suffering does not get to overwhelm us to the point of despair. Because God is always with us—in the distress, the sorrow, the misery—we cling to hope. As Julian of Norwich wrote in “Revelations of Divine Love,” “God did not say, ‘You shall not be tormented, you shall not be troubled, you shall not be grieved,’ but God said, ‘You shall not be overcome.’” As the psalmist declares, “I trust in you, O Lord.”
Prayer
Oh God, you have suffered for us, with us, and because of us. Sustain me in my suffering and remind me of the hope in your promises. Amen.
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