One of the words we have been searching for this year in our reading is the word “faithful.” It appears at least 7 times in these three Psalms of David. A couple of times it refers to us being faithful, but primarily it revers to the faithful love of God. Especially in Psalm 31, David talks repeatedly about the “faithful love of God.” “I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love.” (31:7)… “Make your face shine on your servant; save me by your faithful love.” (31:16)… “Blessed be the LORD for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me.” (31:21)
This faithful love is what gets David through the day. It is what he clings to when times are tough and it is what he rejoices in when times are good. For David (and for us) God is a “rock of refuge” and a “mountain fortress.” He leads us and He guides us for His name’s sake. He is our redeemer and He is the God of truth. God “sees our affliction and He knows the trouble of our souls, and He sets our feet in spacious places.” (31:8)
No matter how much the walls seem to be closing in and no matter how much it seems that the press and circumstances of life crowd around you, you can lean into His faithful love. You can know that He sees you, He knows what you are facing and nothing takes Him by surprise. In Christ and His faithful love, all of those things melt away and it is like you are in a “spacious place.” You have room to breathe and room to just be. In the midst of all of David’s stress, He leaned into the faithful love of God and found rest, peace and room to breathe. When we are abiding in Him there is no worry and there is no hurry. I often have to remind myself, “Kevin get your eyes off of your circumstances, problems, and projects and get them back on the Savior where they belong.” That is where the “spacious place” is.
