Psalm 31  In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. It seems clear to me that Psalm 31 is written out of distress. Some scholars believe that it was probably penned by David himself sometime after having been convicted by God as relayed by the prophet Nathan. Whatever our affliction today one must be confident in God’s mercy and grace to bring forward such a plea before God. The good news I believe is that God is always ready and waiting to receive such a prayer and looks favorably on the one who takes concern for reconciliation of the soul within. Somehow the body always seems to want what it wants; today one pair of shoes, tomorrow 200 pairs of shoes and so forth. Yet, like David, even in his imperfectness, the heart for God always longs for God. Lent is our opportunity to work at bringing our desire for God into the forefront of our life so that we may be able to meet every weakness face to face and refuse to be tempted by it. However, in those times when we fail, we always have Psalm 31 because through Christ we can be confident in God’s mercy and grace.