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Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the Lord; and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all that are upright in heart.

Joy is our response to God, His goodness, His gospel, His mercy, and His love. Inner joy is the hallmark of the Christian. It is a deep, abiding joy, that nothing and no one can take away from us. Joy is produced by the Holy Spirit as a fruit. It is a given. It is earned and granted by Jesus by grace in His death and resurrection, and implanted personally in the heart by the Holy Spirit through the faith created by Him.

We are told to “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, rejoice [Philippians 4:4].” The key phrase is “in the Lord.” We will find no lasting joy in our self, which is dead in sin, nor in the world, which is passing away. But in Him we have joy. And that possession is “always,” all the time, no matter what is going on, no matter the circumstances, and no matter what our emotions are feeling. Emotions are fleeting. The joy of faith is eternal.

We draw on God’s implanted joy, and we are glad and shout for joy. And we rejoice by faith, not because we feel good, but because it is true. God said it. God gives it. And I believe it. The command to rejoice does not mean make it up or put it on. It means to respond to the inner truth of God’s abiding love. Rejoice by confessing sin, receiving forgiveness, and then thanking Him all through the day, no matter the outward circumstances that try to rob you of true, spiritual joy. Rejoice by faith, for it is really true, and let that joy affect your feelings in time. Then we can give a shout. For we are righteous in Him.

Psalm 32:6, 10 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the flood of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him….Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.

In a time of need (which is every day) believers (the godly) may pray unto the Lord for He is always nearby and ready to help and save. Floods of great waters may threaten, but it will not come near to you. Waters is a metaphor for any kind of trouble that may threaten us. But Jesus says we don’t have to worry; He will be present to save and deliver.

As long as we live in a sinful world sorrows will surround the wicked. We are counted among the sinners who deserve death and judgment. Sorrows are a part of life on earth. But mercy is also present and it is stronger, for the Gospel promises mercy and salvation to those who trust in the Lord. And it overcomes. Mercy is stronger than sorrow. Mercy compasses us about and overwhelms the sorrows that also surround us. We may not feel that at times, but it is an unseen truth that we can believe. So we pray and trust. Look to the gospel promise. Look upon Jesus. Look to Almighty God the Father.

Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

The Bible offers several exhortations to be courageous. Courage faces fear with faith in God. It looks at the future and the unknown with the eyes of faith fixed on God, and we are able to move forward. Faith sees the sunshine behind the clouds and takes courage. And when we step out in faith and begin to act, the Lord comes in to strengthen. It begins with a mustard seed faith and it grows. The Holy Spirit grants the beginning of faith through the Gospel, and the continued nurturing of the Word strengthens and grows our faith.

This promise is for all those who hope in the Lord, and not in any other worldly thing. Hope in the Lord does not disappoint. We trust the Lord and hope in the Lord, and we are strong and courageous. Because God in Christ is good and strong for us, we can apply the faith that He grants. Take heart and face it all with courage. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Psalm 31:22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes; nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

Even when it feels like the Lord is not present (cut off from before Him), nevertheless, in such a situation we can still pray unto Him and He hears our cry. Sometimes in the most dire circumstances when the Enemy is frightening us it doesn’t seem like the Lord is near, that He doesn’t hear or care. But even then, or especially then, we will pray anyway. We believe the truth of God’s promise in spite of our feelings and circumstances.

We respond to the faithful promises of God’s Word, not to the emotions of the moment. We pray and believe God hears our voice. He said He would always be there and always listen. We believe what He says, and we do not trust our feelings. God is here and He hears, whether we feel it or not. Therefore, we pray and cry to the Lord in Jesus’ name. He promises to hear our voice, and we believe it.

Psalm 31:19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men.

The Lord has laid up great goodness for them that fear Him; and He worked that goodness out for them that trust in Him. The goodness of God is greater than we can even fathom. It is higher, deeper, wider, and longer than we can comprehend. But with the help of the Holy Spirit we can believe (fear) it. And we can receive (trust) it by faith in the Gospel.

”But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name [John 1:12].” There is power in fearing, loving, and trusting God above all things. The love and goodness of God is the most powerful force in the world. It has the power to overcome sin, death, the devil, and all evil. We see it in the cross and we hear it in the gospel. The great goodness of God sent his Son to grant us forgiveness of sin, the life of God now, eternal salvation, and daily deliverance. When we fear Him we fear nothing else. When we trust Him and nothing else we receive good things from God because of Christ.

Psalm 31:17 Let me not be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

In v. 16, David prays for God’s presence (face) to shine and for Him to save him because of His mercy. He called upon the Lord in the presence of his enemies and trusted the Lord not to let him down, that is, not to be ashamed or disappointed for placing his trust in God. He believed God would hear him and save him, for the sake of His mercy.

Jesus is the mercy of God manifested to us, and so we pray and believe in Jesus’ name, or for His sake. He is mercy, and we know it because of the Gospel. Therefore, we may call upon Him in the sure confidence that He will hear and answer our need. We can have the faith and assurance that we will not be disappointed, being afraid that prayer will not work. When we know that Jesus died and rose for us, we can know that we can call upon the Lord and not be ashamed.

Psalm 31:14-15 But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

While fear was on every side, David trusted in the Lord. He is his God. He had the faith to place himself, his life, his wellbeing, and his times in the hand of God. He could with God’s help “Let go and let God.”

When fear threatens there is no better place to be than in the hand of God. We surrender control of our times to the Lord. “Hand” means control. We take our hands off and place ourselves under God’s control for comfort, safety, protection, and blessing. He delivers us from the control of our spiritual enemies. Jesus has once for all delivered us from sin, death, and the devil.

Now being free, we willingly and joyfully place our times in God’s hand. When fear and worry threaten, we know where to go. We give it to God. In the hand of the Good Shepherd we are secure. We believe it. We have it. We are certain because of the Gospel of Christ.

Psalm 31:9 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea my soul and my belly.

When David is in trouble and consumed with grief, he pleads the Lord for mercy. He prays in faith, knowing that the Lord is merciful and He will show mercy. We are often in trouble, sometimes caused by our own sin, and at times eaten up with grief, caused by loss or threatened with loss of something. Such grief is ultimately brought about by our own sin and guilt and from the pervasive sin in the world. “The wages of sin is death.”

”But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord [Romans 3:23].” Because of the Gospel of the death and resurrection of Christ, we know that God is merciful toward us. We can count on mercy. Therefore, we pray in Jesus’ name. In any time of trouble we pray: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Our response to trouble and grief is believing in the God of mercy. We may have no other recourse but to ask for and trust in mercy. And that is enough.

Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversity,

David wills, makes a conscious choice, to be glad and rejoice in the mercy of the Lord. Even in the midst of trouble and adversity afflicting his mind, will, and emotions he can still choose to be happy. He can do so on the basis of his faith in the mercy of God. He believes God’s character and he knows that God acts according to His basic character of mercy. God is good, kind, and merciful. His mercies are new every morning. And if that is true, he can be glad.

No matter the outward circumstances and inward fears, the Lord is still there and He is always full of mercy. His steadfast love never fails. He considers, sees, and cares about our troubles, and brings comfort and help. And He knows the feelings and fears of being in adversity, and does something about it. Why? Because He is full of mercy, kindness, and love, and not because we are good. How can we know? He has revealed His love and shown His mercy in the Gospel of Christ. We believe it. We receive it. We enjoy it.

Psalm 31:6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord.

David’s response to life’s issues and worldly problems is to hate the lying vanities, false idols, and put his trust in the Lord alone. To hate is to despise, ignore, avoid, and shun something. We are often tempted to turn to the world to solve our problems: “If I only had more money.” “If I had a different spouse.” “If I had another job, or position, or home, or more things.” The world is always tempting us with something new or different or more to make life better.

1 John warns us not to “love not the world or the things of the world.” Whatever we look to for good becomes an idol, which in the end delivers only death and destruction. We learn, sometimes the hard way, to turn away from, even hate, the false promises and the empty lies the world offers. We even learn through the Word and the Spirit to hate and despise the people through whom these temptations come. We hate the sin, but still love the sinner.

Hate feels like a strong word, but sin and death are stronger and more dangerous. However, love is the greatest force in the world, and Jesus overcomes all. God’s love is the most powerful, as seen in the Resurrection. And we respond by loving and trusting Him above all things. We trust in the Lord alone for a better life. And He gives it freely.