Psalm 31:9-16 (NRSV)
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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
Grief brings with him a heavy blanket and drapes it around my shoulders. The thickness of the blanket blocks out the light and I cannot see around me. The voices speaking to me are muddled. They try to touch me. They try to reassure me that all is well. But I can't make out their faces or the words they speak. Grief deadens my ears and I'm alone. My friends—I think those are my friends—stop trying. "It's too hard," they say to each other. "She's not getting it. She doesn’t want our help. She looks terrible!" I pull the corners of the blanket closer, tucking them in under my legs. Then the edge of the blanket lifts a little. A tiny bit of light shines in.
"Oh! God! You are my God!" I recognize the face peering in.
Prayer
Jesus, continue to pursue us in our doubt and depression. Come find us and hold us close. Amen.