There is so much happening in our world and in our personal lives that can cause us great concern. When our future is unsure, even threatening, we need to be reminded of the words of David’s prayer to the Lord, “My future is in your hands” (Psalms 31:15).

At the time David wrote this psalm, he wasn’t just having a bad day. He was living in deep anguish. His enemies were laying traps, trying to kill him. “My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction” (vs. 10).

David was scorned by his enemies and despised by his neighbors. People ran from him when they saw him walking down the street, ”I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery” (vs.12).

David was in such a difficult place that his only hope was the rescue of God. In his anguished state, he said, “But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.” David’s trust in God in his time of anguish is all that God required of him. God would do the rest. 

David’s trust in God set him up to say, “My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love” (vs. 14-16). God’s love never fails us when we need it most.

David’s deliverance was not just for him. It would be a witness before the world that God was sheltering him in the rock of His presence, “How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, blessing them before the watching world” (vs. 19).

The world is watching how we process our anguish. When God alters our future for His glory, revealing His goodness and protection, it will become our testimony that God is someone we can trust to work things out when it does not appear there is a way forward. Trusting God is our most powerful weapon in times of personal anguish. It will overcome our anguish and help us move into the future and experience what God has promised.