But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my GOD." My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Psalm 31:14-15
Reflecting on this excerpt from the middle of Psalm 31, what jumped out at me was the simple statement "My times are in your hand." The preceding passages show a protagonist beset by enemies, scorned by his neighbors, and suffering from a terrible affliction. Following a declaration of his faith, he states that his times are in God's hand and asks for deliverance.
Researching this excerpt, I found several interpretations, most having to do with length of life. However, I found Eugene Peterson's interpretation in "The Message" particularly meaningful to me: "Hour by hour I place my days in your hand." This is not a resignation to a person's situation; it is a continual act of surrendering. Day by day, hour by hour, it is a process of affirming and then reaffirming the simple declaration from verse 14: "I trust in you, O LORD; I say 'You are my God.'" I know for me the thought is always there to trust in something or someone else - family, job, education, but most of all myself. The trick - and a step toward spiritual growth - is not to let that thought stick.
A wise friend once told me that the one of the hardest things to do is to "let God be God." Waking up each day and "placing my days in your hand" is something we will never do perfectly - it is progress, not perfection. However, having the willingness to make that effort and that progress is what allows us to live rather than simply say "You are my God."
Richard Downs (2009)
