Contemplative Bible Reading

Psalm 31:11-12 (New International Version)

¹¹ Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.

¹² I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.

This is a great description of a terrible time of David’s life. I particularly like verse 11. The phrases “utter contempt of my neighbors” and “dread to my friends” are painful. Verse 11 ends with the comical “those who see me on the street flee from me.”

All is not lost for David as he asks the Lord to simply

Let your face shine on your servant;

David asks that God look at him. The Lord’s gaze will be enough to change David’s plight. David trusts in the Lord. His trust is based on what has happened in the past (verse 23):

In my alarm I said,
“I am cut off from your sight!”
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.

The Lord is good. His gaze upon us is good. If only we can remember these basic things when we become the dread to our friends.