6 I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
8 and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place. (Psalm 31:6-8)
“You have seen my affliction” We can take heart knowing the God of the universe has seen our affliction. He isn’t detached from the reality of pain but thrusts His son into the eye of the storm in order to bring peace at the perfect time. If redemption seems far away, trust it is coming. For His timing is perfect and His aim is true. Our savior knows well of pain because He has been intimate with it and has won.
“You have known the distress of my soul” At night, when you toss restlessly, He sees you. He knows the inner ache your soul tries to hide – that spirit of flight over fight. He knows you and your hidden pain. In the trust of the Lord we must take refuge believing beyond proof He is in the marrow of our aching bones. His plan of grace will win, even when the dark night is upon us.
“You have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy” They will not win for He will not let them. The critics, the backseat drivers, the gossip columns, those inner thoughts of doubt, they will all bow to your deliverer. Your enemy is great, but your Lord is greater. As you trust, He will hold and as you bow, He will lift. Our Lord always delivers His saints to Himself. No one else has a grasp on our lives but the Holy King of kings. Those circumstances of life that so stubbornly choke out the light of our souls are no match the one who reigns over politics and policies. He has set your soul free saint. Have the courage to accept this freedom. Take the broken pieces of a cloudy world and shine the broken rays of a shining Christ into it’s chaos.
“You have set my feet” The truth is, there is no stability outside of His grace. The world is always shifting, backbiting, and back peddling in seeking it’s own advancement. We are firm as long as we firmly place our trust in our beloved Christ. Let your feet be planted, no longer move with the waves of a fractured world. Your soul rests in the only One worth resting in. Be courageous today.
Matt simon blog 