READ Psalm 31:19–24. 19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. 20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues. 21 Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. 22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. 23 Love the LORD, all his faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
FEELINGS AND REALITY. When David was in trouble, he felt God was not with him—“I am cut off from your sight!” (verse 22). During success we can have the opposite feeling (“I will never be shaken,” Psalm 30:6), which is just as wrong. We must live, then, on the basis of what God has revealed, not what we feel. Pilots who fly into clouds must follow their instruments even when those contradict their clear sense perceptions of which way is up, or they will inevitably die.24 When we go through clouds of prosperity or adversity, we must not go on feelings of self-sufficiency or despair but rather should trust a gracious, wise God.
Prayer: Lord, if my heart doesn’t learn to trust your Word when it tells me things I don’t want to hear, then my heart won’t accept it when it tells me things I desperately do want to hear—about your love and forgiveness. Teach me to trust your Word. Amen.