When you were a kid, did you ever stumble upon the place where you parents were hiding Christmas gifts? If so, I wouldn’t be surprised if you felt a sense of “joyful anticipation” as you thought about how much fun you were going to have on Christmas morning. And who knows? Maybe the awareness of how many good things had been set aside for you even made you behave differently, because you were so eager to be worthy of the blessings that were coming your way.

Well, I think about those dynamics as I unpack today’s word from Psalm 31. Like many psalms, this one begins when one of God’s children cries out to Him, desperate to find shelter from the troubles that surround him. “O Lord, I have come to you for protection,” the psalmist says (v. 1). “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress” (v. 9).

But somewhere along the way, this child of God remembers how faithful his Father is. “But I am trusting you, O Lord,” he prays, “saying, ‘You are my God!’ My future is in your hands” (vs. 14-15). And so, at least as I like to think about it, he goes looking for that “secret stash of blessings” that he knows are waiting somewhere. And based on what he goes on to say…he finds it!

How great is the goodness
   you have stored up for those who fear you.
You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,
   blessing them before the watching world.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
   safe from those who conspire against them.
You shelter them in your presence,
   far from accusing tongues. (vs. 19-20)

 

So, I hope that you’ll find that secret place where all God’s goodness is stored up for you today. And even if you can’t locate it, I hope that you, too, will trust in the Lord and will know without a doubt that your future is in His hands. Amen.