In times of distress, what does your faith look like? When things really take a turn for the worse and the headaches pile on, what do you turn to for reprieve? When earthly things take their toll on our mental states, it can be easy to turn to things of this world to befittingly distract ourselves. From escapism in media and stories, to enjoyment of the arts and the outdoors, to our physiques and checkbooks, it can be scarily easy to throw our worries at frivolous things. Reading it now, what Psalm 31 tells me is David’s commitment in difficult times to giving his ordeals to God. Verse 5 is a good summary – “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
Don’t get me wrong – this is not a talk about how being stressed and dealing with it is bad. Stress is physically draining, and coping with our stress through healthy means and positive action is totally necessary. But these things can’t be our cornerstone. I’ve had a lot of experience with healthy ways of blowing off some steam, like exercise, writing, practicing instruments, cooking elaborate healthy meals, and playing board games with my wife. In worse times of my life amidst sadness and depression, I’ve definitely had some much crummier ways of dealing with it. But these things only offer a little relief – they can’t shoulder your burden when it gets too much. They won’t shield you from your afflicters, from the evils of the world, and those who seek to do wrong against you. Only the Lord ever offered me true respite and healing against these torrential downpours of trouble; not just simply respite of the body, but much more importantly, of the spirit.
Think about the wildly stressful times David endured along the road to writing this psalm – fleeing for his life, armies gathered against him, cities of people slaughtered for unwittingly helping him out, bunkered in fortresses under siege amidst war. It is through these incredible trials David finds his faith tested, and discovers how the Lord preserves and saves, time after time, those who turn to Him – but it requires total commitment in your surrender to God’s will. Even if the things of this world help deal with physical stress, David must have seen that earthly remedies have their limits. When he says he despises idols in verse 6 (alongside his hate of actual idol worship, of course), I can’t help but see this as his warning against the idols we make for ourselves in our lives getting in the way of connectedness during our own time. In this context of describing his agony, I feel especially convicted in what has been an extremely stressful period in time for many of us, that nothing but Christ and our conviction in His word will get us through times like these.
Even in Psalm 31:22, David feels fear: “I had said in my alarm, ’I am cut off from your sight,’” he says. David, of all people! Even the guy who whooped Goliath can be afraid. But his message is clear: we are all human, with all the downside of humanity, like fear, anguish, anger, pride, and all that. But the Lord is always there to offer hope, no matter how hopeless our times can seem. It requires dedication, immersion, devotion to the Lord though – the kind built up through a lifestyle centered around Christ, through daily time with God in prayer and scripture. Through seeking and being part of Christ-centric community, pursuing and growing in our faith alongside others. The Lord appropriately pays those who pridefully cling to the things of this world for deliverance, but we know our continual devotion to Christ is the greatest reward in itself. This year has been both a practice in, and testament to, coming to Christ for provision – for me, and many of you as well, I’m sure. Pray that the recent lessons in committing your spirit to God’s hand last year serve you well in the coming years, and reflect on how you’ve learned to place your trust in Christ when things go haywire, so you may better reflect David’s words every new day.