311 In you, O Lord, have I put my hope; let me never be shamed; keep me safe in your righteousness. 2 Let your ear be turned to me; take me quickly out of danger; be my strong Rock, my place of strength where I may be safe. 3 For you are my Rock and my strong tower; go in front of me and be my guide, because of your name. 4 Take me out of the net which they have put ready for me secretly; for you are my strength. 5 Into your hands I give my spirit; you are my saviour, O Lord God for ever true. 6 I am full of hate for those who go after false gods; but my hope is in the Lord. 7 I will be glad and have delight in your mercy; because you have seen my trouble; you have had pity on my soul in its sorrows; 8 And you have not given me into the hand of my hater; you have put my feet in a wide place.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 31:1-8
Commentary on Psalm 31:1-8
(Read Psalm 31:1-8)
Faith and prayer must go together, for the prayer of faith is the prevailing prayer. David gave up his soul in a special manner to God. And with the words, ver. 5, our Lord Jesus yielded up his last breath on the cross, and made his soul a free-will offering for sin, laying down his life as a ransom. But David is here as a man in distress and trouble. And his great care is about his soul, his spirit, his better part. Many think that while perplexed about their worldly affairs, and their cares multiply, they may be excused if they neglect their souls; but we are the more concerned to look to our souls, that, though the outward man perish, the inward man may suffer no damage. The redemption of the soul is so precious, that it must have ceased for ever, if Christ had not undertaken it. Having relied on God's mercy, he will be glad and rejoice in it. God looks upon our souls, when we are in trouble, to see whether they are humbled for sin, and made better by the affliction. Every believer will meet with such dangers and deliverances, until he is delivered from death, his last enemy.