14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face to shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I call upon You;
Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in [g]Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be mute,
Which speak arrogantly against the righteous
With pride and contempt.19 How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!
20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a [h]shelter from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.
22 As for me, I said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried to You.23 O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!
The Lord preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.
24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who [i]hope in the Lord.
When we are “under siege” it can be a difficult thing, to put it all in God’s hands. After all, a million thoughts race through our minds, and we want to fix things and make it right. We want to fight back, and throw off our oppressors. Yet the psalmist knew the surest way to victory, which was to trust God and know that his life is in God’s hand (v. 15).
Throughout the remainder of the psalm, this is emphasized, as he gives God all the credit: “How great is your goodness”, “You hide them”, “You heard… my supplications.” Though he was “alarmed” and thought he was forsaken, the psalmist continued to pray and trust God, and God came through in a big way.
Verse 24 is thus the rightful ending to this whole theme, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.” It echoes what God told Joshua centuries earlier, and is a reminder to us still today. Don’t hold back, let God know your desires, your fears, your burdens. Sure, he already knows them, but there’s something about admitting them out loud to God, and inviting Him into the situation. When we’ve done put God in charge, back in his rightful place in our lives, then our hope is set on a firm foundation, one that cannot be shaken.