In God's Hands
Today’s Verse:
My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. ~Psalm 31:15
We tend to segment our life by different time periods. We have childhood time, teenager time, young adult time, working time, married without children time, married with children time, retirement time, and our ending time. We refer to this as our different life stages. David made a statement that has great meaning for all of us. He said, “My times are in thy hand.” He meant that at all times, his life is always in God’s hand. Let us learn from David’s testimony.
We see David’s trouble.
This psalm was written during the time that David was trying to evade Saul. David was a fugitive from Saul and those who aligned themselves with Saul. He said that his soul was in adversities. He said that he was consumed with grief in his belly and in his soul. He said that his life was spent with grief and his years with sighing, his strength was failing, and he was a reproach among enemies and neighbors. He heard the slanders and concluded that everyone was against him. He further said, “I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.” David was in sore trouble.
We see David’s trap.
David described his situation as being trapped in a net. He was being pursued like an animal. The pressure was so great that he felt like he was ensnared in a net and could not escape. The feeling of being trapped is of deep despair and fear of dying. He was still a young man, but he was overcome with sleeplessness and desperation. When you feel trapped, there is much fear and your thoughts get the best of you.
We see David’s transgressions.
While all this was going on, David thought about sins that he had not confessed to God. “My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.” God allows trouble in our life to convict us of sin that we ignore and leave unconfessed. We must confess our sins daily to God. We must not think lightly about any sin, but treat all sin as an offense against a holy God.
We see David’s trust.
Through it all, David committed his situation into God’s hand. Four times he referred to his trust in God. He called out to God for help. He called the Lord his strong rock, house of defense, strong city, and his fortress. He said, “My times are in thy hand.” Only God could take care of him. He trusted in God’s mercies. He asked God to make His face shine upon him. David had a steadfast trust in God.
We see David’s triumph.
David praised God for His goodness. He acknowledged that God heard his prayer. God kept the enemy from taking him. His confidence in the Lord was bolstered and he knew that God preserved him. He testified to those who were for him to love the Lord, be of good courage, and have hope in the Lord. Instead of his trouble overcoming him, he overcame his trouble. God did not take away Saul’s threats, but, instead, used this to make David a better Christian and a rock-solid leader.
Do not fear your trouble: you are always in God’s hand. You are in God’s hand at all times. Don’t be ashamed of the trouble you are in. Thank God for allowing this in your life, and trust in Him completely.
Have an all-trusting God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Samuel 21-23