Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
Psalm 31:9 is a plea for the Lord's mercy from one who is in trouble. Grief consumes the eyes and reaches the soul and the whole inward being, including the belly or body. The word translated soul here means life, so the cry is that life is spent and consumed with grief and trouble along with the body. Calling on God in the day of trouble carries the assurance of deliverance.
The deep trouble and consuming grief also show that Christ experienced suffering and human weakness. The words of deep distress reveal Christ's inner experience during His life-and-death struggles with temptation and the enemy. David foresaw and felt those struggles in prophetic vision, giving a view of Christ's suffering that the disciples often missed.
Psalm 31:9 is a plea for the Lord's mercy from one who is in trouble. Grief consumes the eyes and reaches the soul and the whole inward being, including the belly or body. The word translated soul here means life, so the cry is that life is spent and consumed with grief and trouble along with the body. Calling on God in the day of trouble carries the assurance of deliverance.
The deep trouble and consuming grief also show that Christ experienced suffering and human weakness. The words of deep distress reveal Christ's inner experience during His life-and-death struggles with temptation and the enemy. David foresaw and felt those struggles in prophetic vision, giving a view of Christ's suffering that the disciples often missed.