Show Don't Tell: Psalm 31
Vivid sensory description for preaching Psalm 31
This is a show dont tell prompt.
Instead of saying "David committed himself to God in trouble," hear Jesus' last words. "In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me." Urgency throughout. "Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, LORD, my faithful God." Jesus spoke these words from the cross. "I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the LORD." Clear sides chosen. "I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place." Seen. Known. Freed. "Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak." Total exhaustion—eyes, soul, body, bones. "I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery." Shattered and discarded. "But I trust in you, LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in your hands." Then the call: "Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD."
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