Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Scripture

“Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.” Psalm 31:16

Reflections

When you’re in a very dark place, where do you look for hope?

The middle of Psalm 31 paints a picture of being in a very dark place.  It’s a place of distress, sorrow, grief, groaning, failing strength, and contempt.  The psalmist is beset with physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual anguish.  He had become an object of dread to his closest friends.  To them, he was as good as dead.  His life had become like broken pottery, with nothing but pieces left.

This is the psalm Jesus quoted when he was on the cross; “Into your hand I commit my spirit” (v. 5).  The people had turned against him.  He was literally being tortured to death.  Was all hope lost?

The psalm then brings us back to our only place of true hope, the love of God.  We may be in a very dark place, but the Lord God is our refuge, and in that refuge, God shows us the wonders of his love.  God shows us his mercy.  The love of God is our only true hope in a world of brokenness and pain.

We may be in a very dark place, but we can always remember the love of God we’ve come to know through Jesus on the cross.  He is indeed the one who shines his face upon us and saves us in his love.

Prayer

Lord God, thank you for your love for me, even when I’m in a dark place.  Let your face shine upon me.  Help me to be strong and take courage as I wait for you.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Full Reading: Psalm 31:9-16