Lenten Devotional March 26, 2022

Scripture

Psalm 31

1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.

3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

6 You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.

9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones waste away.

11 I 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.
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many —
terror all around! —
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, O LORD;I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.
17 Do not let me be put to shame, O LORD,
for I call on you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be stilled
that speak insolently against the righteous
with pride and contempt.

19 O how abundant is your goodness
that you have laid up for those who fear you,
and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of everyone!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from human plots;
you hold them safe under your shelter
from contentious tongues.

21 Blessed be the LORD,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was beset as a city under siege.
22 I had said in my alarm,
“I am driven far from your sight.”
But you heard my supplications
when I cried out to you for help.

23 Love the LORD, all you his saints.
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD.

Devotional

The Rev. Mikayla Kovacik ’19

Psalm 31 is particularly poignant during the season of Lent. According to the Gospel of Luke, the last words that Jesus spoke from the cross were from this Psalm. “Into your hand, I commit my spirit.” Though this Psalm has come to be associated with Jesus’ death, it also has a message for us as Christ’s followers today. Psalm 31 is a prayer for God’s help that leads into a song of thanksgiving. The psalmist writes of enduring a city under siege, navigating uncertainty, despair, brokenness, and death. With this in mind, the psalmist imagines God as a strong fortress, a protector, a shelter.

As followers of Christ we, like the psalmist, experience lives that sometimes feel as if they are under siege. We navigate uncertainty, despair, brokenness, grief, and death. The season of Lent brings these feelings to the forefront of our minds as we journey with Jesus toward the cross. Psalm 31, though, is good news for us today and always. It reminds us that God is our fortress, our protector, our shelter. We can trust God because God cares for us and loves us beyond all measure. With safety and confidence, we can place our lives in God’s hands. No matter the range of emotions that we experience or the situations we navigate, God is with us and God is for us. May we commit our lives into God’s hands once again.

Prayer

Bless you, O Lord, because you are faithful and loving. You lead me, guide me, and care for me all the days of my life. Be a shelter for me, O God. Protect me. Give me all confidence and assurance to commit my life to your hands. Amen.