Unfortunately, we live in a world where it seems that terrors are multiplying. None of us want to be in a place of terror and yet we have all been there one way or another. Certainly, our family has been at the center of some terror in the past few months in Ukraine.



At first it was rumors of war. Tanks, artillery, soldiers, weapons of every kind moving in on three sides of the country. For at least a month we received almost daily communications from the US government to leave the country. 







Then on the morning of February 24th we were woken by a phone call at 5:00 AM to inform us that the war had begun. Christina saw one of the first missiles directed at our city fly past our living room window and 30 seconds later we felt the boom. Now we knew war had started!  



When it comes down to it, terror is something that happens in the heart of man. On one hand you can’t control it very well and on the other hand there are things we can and should do at Christians to keep terror from ruling our lives. In fact, as Christians we have a unique advantage when it comes to terror, we have the greatest, most powerful, and most effective anti-terror weapon, which is the Word of God and presence of His Spirit in our lives. 



Today we will look at Psalm 31. We will take a deep dive into the terror of David’s heart. In doing so we must examine our own hearts. We must recognize our terrors and learn to deal with them the way David did. This is not an exercise for the faint of heart, so I encourage you to take up your shield of faith and breastplate of righteousness. We need sober minds and hearts to look into these things. We need honesty with ourselves and courage to recognize that which terrorizes our hearts. May God humble us as we look to his Word and see our own hearts in the heart of David.



Introduction to Psalm 31



We must remember that a psalm is never meant to be a theological treatise or a “how to...” nevertheless we find within each psalm deep theological truths and guidance that can help us how to get through many different situations in life. 



First, however, a psalm represents the heart and the emotions of its author. Here, like in so many other psalms we see tension within the heart of David. We see his fear and we see his faith, we see his anguish and we see his answer. We must recognize this Psalm for its beauty, for its spiritual and emotional power, and for its depth of truth and wisdom. As we look to this psalm we must allow ourselves to see ourselves through the eyes of David. As we step where David stepped I believe we will not only see the relevant theological truths but that God will also deliver to us the real help and healing that we need in these terrifying times. 




David heard terror on every side




Psalm 31:13 NIV - 13 For I hear many whispering, "Terror on every side!" They conspire against me and plot to take my life.



You might be wondering why I am starting with verse 13 in the psalm. The reason is because like many psalms, the middle is often the climax or the hinge of the psalm upon which the rest of the psalm hangs. This is true for psalm 31. Here we see David building to a point and he completes this with verse 13 which is the middle of the psalm. 



Let’s look at how David built up to this verse. This middle section starts in verse 9 where David tells us “I am in distress!” As we read from verse 9 through verse 13 we get a very graphic picture of what terror looks like. 



Here are some of the words David uses to describe his terror: