A Word from Psalm 31

Unless you’ve been trying really hard to stay uninformed, you probably know that half the country is getting ready for “The Great Snow-Pocalypse of 2026”! The forecast is calling for severe weather across the U.S., with fear of power outages and dangerous travel conditions. And wouldn’t it be great if a blast of snow and ice was our only problem! If we dare to look beyond the forecast, we seem to be threatened—both personally and globally—by all kinds of storms, which batter us with conflict, uncertainty, and dangers of every kind

So, maybe it’s good that today’s word from Psalm 31 reminds us that even God’s people find themselves in dire straights from time to time. “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I’m in distress,” the psalmist writes; “my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning…For I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side!’” (31:9-10, 13)

Of course, in the face of such troubles, the question we need to ask is, “What are we gonna do about it?” And here, too, the psalmist sets an example for us. “But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands.” (31:14-15) Even when—and perhaps, especially when—the storms of life are creating hardship and pain, we know that we’re still held in the hands of a powerful and loving Heavenly Father.

So this weekend—and every week that follows—let’s take to heart the advice of God’s poet: “Love the Lord, all His faithful people! Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” (31:23-24) Amen.