My Times Are In Thy Hand: Finding Refuge In A World Of Trouble Series

Scripture Reading: Psalm 31 (KJV)

Introduction: The Storm and the Anchor

Good morning, beloved.

We gather this morning in a world that often feels like a ship tossed on a raging sea. The winds of anxiety blow hard against us. The waves of uncertainty crash over the deck. We face the storms of personal loss, of financial pressure, of relational conflict, of physical ailment, and of a future that seems veiled in fog. In these moments, the human heart cries out for an anchor, for something solid and unmovable to hold onto lest we be dashed against the rocks.

This morning, we turn our hearts to a song written from the very heart of such a storm. We turn to Psalm 31, a raw, honest, and ultimately triumphant cry from David, a man who knew the heights of the palace and the depths of the pit. This Psalm is not a sterile theological treatise; it is a lifeline. It is a roadmap that shows us how to navigate the darkest valleys of human experience by anchoring our souls not in our shifting circumstances, but in the unshakeable character of our God.

The central, life-altering truth of this Psalm is found in verse 15: “My times are in thy hand.” What a profound declaration! Not my successes, not my failures, not my reputation, not my enemies—but my times. My entire existence, my schedule, my destiny, my very next breath. Today, let us walk with David through this Psalm and learn what it means to truly place our times, our very lives, into the hands of the Almighty God. We will see three distinct movements in this symphony of faith: first, The Foundation of Trust; second, The Honesty of a Heavy Heart; and finally, The Pivot of Faith.

I. The Foundation of Trust (vv. 1–8)

Before David even begins to detail his troubles, he lays a foundation. He begins not with his problem, but with his God. Look at verse 1: “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust.” This is not a passive hope; it is an active placement. It is a deliberate choice to build his house on the rock before the storm hits.

Notice the powerful imagery he uses. He calls God his “strong rock,” his “house of defence,” his “fortress.” A rock is a symbol of absolute stability. A fortress is a place of impenetrable security. David is surrounded by enemies who have laid a “net” for him (v. 4), a subtle trap meant to ensnare and destroy him. But he knows that the schemes of man are no match for the sovereignty of God. He prays, “Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me.” He knows his own strength is not enough; his deliverance must come from his Fortress.

The pinnacle of this opening declaration comes in verse 5, words so profound they were echoed by our Savior from the cross: “Into thine hand I commit my spirit.” This is the ultimate act of surrender. It is to say, “God, my very life-force, my essence, the core of who I am, I place it into Your care.” When Jesus Christ hung on that cruel cross, bearing the sin of the world, in His moment of ultimate agony and separation, He reached for these words of His ancestor David. He showed us that even in the face of death itself, the safest place for a soul to be is in the hands of the Father.

The application for us is clear: Where do you run first when trouble comes? Do you run to the phone to complain? Do you run to the internet to self-diagnose? Do you run to despair? Or do you, like David, run to the Rock? Do you build your foundation of trust before you even begin to assess the damage from the storm? Our first move must always be to declare who God is, before we lament what is happening to us.

II. The Honesty of a Heavy Heart (vv. 9–13)

Having laid his foundation of trust, David now does something remarkably human and spiritually essential: he weeps. He pours out the full extent of his pain. Faith is not a denial of reality. Faith is not a plastic smile in the face of suffering. True biblical faith gives us permission to be brutally honest with God.

Listen to the language of his lament. It is all-encompassing—physical, emotional, and social.

His body is failing: “Mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly… my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed” (vv. 9–10). Grief is not just an emotion; it is a physical weight that wears us down.

His reputation is destroyed: “I was a reproach among all mine enemies… I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel” (vv. 11–12). He has been slandered, rejected, and discarded. His friends run from him; his name is poison.