Psalm 31

Q: What do we do this year when it feels like God has cut us off?

A: We plead with God

Why should we plea?

How to plea?

SW: And this will lead us to praise

MAP

Q: What do we do this year when it feels like God has cut us off?

E1 - period of distress.

E2 - struggle with guilt

E3 - face opposition

Emotions: Eyes puffed up. Soul wasted away. Years with sighing. Forgotten

C: Orientate

Structure / Flow

two parts. plea -> praise. overall shape.

(L) too much. but aim: motivate us to plea to God.

A: We plea for mercy

Why: Psalm 31:2–3 Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;”

Call on God to be to you, what you know him to be

For Israel - Rock. Mt Sinai. Deut 32.

How: Psalm 31:14–15 “I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand

Commit

Acknowledge him as your God. reaffirm that you trust him.

In practice - that he controls time.

^ biblical counselling.

R: PTJ (L) but growing up.

David -> Jesus

Jesus agrees - Ps 22, Ps 31. To the choirmaster. Psalm 31:5 “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.”

SW: Plea and then Praise

Plea by remembering:

Remember your own past

Remember who God is

Remember your saviour Jesus

In groups praying and using the words of the Psalm.

Then praise Read v6-8. v21-24 (Read all together)

INTRODUCTION (Relevance Persuasion | Resonate)

Q: What do we do this year when it feels like God has cut us off? (2min)

E1 - “Cut off” too strong? But maybe not. Because sometimes it does feel like that.

Periods even for the Christian - feels that God has cut us off.

(L) not too strong for David.

Psalm 31:22 “I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.”

(L) Why such strong language?

E2 - Period of distress.

Psalm 31:9 “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also.”

(A) Crying. Eye puffy. Wasted. Not just eye. but his body. Physical. And his soul. Inner self.

E3 - Sorrow, sighing and guilt

Psalm 31:10 “For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.”

(A) Disposition. posture. sighing. can’t lift, sin burdening him.

E4 - ostracised 

Psalm 31:11 “Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.”

(A) enemies hate him. Neighbors, closed proximity shun him. Friends dread to see him. Street -> run.

“I AM cut OFF from your sight”

Gloomy start? actually not really.

V - instructive for us this year. Process now. When you feel completely separated from God. What do you do?

Answer: We plead with God.

Incline your ear to me v2

Be gracious to me v9

CONTEXT (Orientate | Situate)

Long Psalm. Won’t look at everything. But overview

Two movements: Plea -> Praise

V1-5 Plea (Bad)

V6-8 Praise (good)

V9-18 Plea (Devastating)

V19-24 Praise (Abundant joy)

Aim: motivate us to plead with God.

ARGUMENT (Texture | Unity | Coherence | Development)

Why should we plea? Plead with God because you know who he is

Psalm 31:2–3 “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 my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;”

Notice: “Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress! For you are my rock and my fortress”

Call on God to be to you, what you know him to be.

“Be my rock.… for you are my rock”

(A) Rock metaphor - > secure and steadfast.

Heavy OT metaphor

Rock that gives life and water gushes out of the rock

Rock at mt sinai. God who descended fire and cloud and lighting on the Rock, Mt Sinai. broken the covenant. Yet God slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

David recalls all of Israel’s history and he knows all about God the secure foundation, the life-giver, the gracious Lord.

And he pleads with God “Be my rock for you are my rock.”

Why plead with God? Because we know who he is.

Life-giver.

Rescuer.

Saviour.

“Please Lord. Be my saviour, for you are my saviour.”

Plead with God because you know who he is

(L) But how else should we plea.

How to plea? Plead with God by wholly committing to him

Psalm 31:5 “Into your hand I commit my spirit; ”

(A) image. spirit. inner self. metaphor.

Surrender.

^ - dislike the phase. let go and let God. easily misunderstood. netflix. let go.

But maybe, let go of the stuff you cannot control. Let God.

The future. The outcome. The actions of others.

Psalm 31:14–15 “But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand”

“You are MY God” emphasis on “my”

(A) movement from knowledge to personalisation. “Not my King.” “not my president”. He is the king but aligning your whole self under him.

You are MY God. realignment.

(L) in practice?

“My times are in your hand”

My life. The up phases. The down phases. The distressed moments. The periods of rejoicing. “My times are in your hand”

How to plead with God? realigning and committing to him.

MAIN POINT (Summarise | Wordsmith | 5 Syllable | Alliterate)

Q: What do we do this year when it feels like God has cut us off?

A: plead with God.

Because we know who he is

By realigning / wholly committing to him

REINFORCEMENT (Amp | Hearts Burning | STAR)

(A) Biblical counselling.

Secular counselling - goal: mood change.

biblical counselling - Psalm: Goal: pleading with God. Are you speaking to him? Are you pleading with him?

Not just a psychological crutch

David pleads with God. God answers him.

Our older brother. Jesus. takes this psalm on his lips. Psalm 31:5 “Into your hand I commit my spirit”

Cross. Death. Resurrection.

LAND (Worldview | Us)

pray together and plead with God using the words of the Psalm.

Stand and say the praise sections together.

Read v6-8. v21-24 (Read all together)