These psalms focus on personal discipleship, including faith, repentance, meekness, and sharing the gospel.
Psalm 31: Into Thine Hand I Commit My Spirit
David expresses his trust in God. He acknowledges that he has enemies, but he affirms, “I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.”
Book of Mormon connection:
- A turning point in Nephi’s psalm comes when he writes, “Nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted” (2 Nephi 4:19).
Psalm 32: I Acknowledged My Sin
David expresses the joy and relief of confession. “When I kept silence,” he writes, “my bones waxed old.” But now, “I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”
Psalm 33: He Fashioneth Their Hearts
The psalmist marvels at God’s power over nature, over nations, and over our individual souls. “He fashioneth their hearts alike,” he says. Therefore, “our heart shall rejoice in him.”
Psalm 34: Taste and See
David invites others, “O magnify the Lord with me.” He urges us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Book of Mormon connection:
- Mormon writes that when he was fifteen years old, he “was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus” (Mormon 1:15).
Psalm 35: Plead My Cause
David asks God to advocate for him and against his enemies. He sorrows that those who gnash upon him “with their teeth” are the same people he previously fasted and prayed for and treated like family.
Book of Mormon connection:
- The leaders in Ammonihah gnash their teeth upon Alma and Amulek in prison (Alma 14:21).
Psalm 36: The Fountain of Life
David contrasts the unreliable flattery of the wicked with the life-giving words of God. “For with thee is the fountain of life,” he says; “in thy light shall we see light.”
Psalm 37: Fret Not Thyself
David extols the virtue of meekness, urging people to wait patiently and rest in the Lord, not to be angry, and not to “fret” themselves. He promises, “The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”
Book of Mormon connection:
- At the temple in Bountiful, Jesus declares, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (3 Nephi 12:5).
Psalm 38: A Loathsome Disease
David laments his sins and compares them with an illness. He says that even friends and family stand far from him because of his iniquities. He says, “I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.”
Book of Mormon connection:
- At the beginning of Nephi’s psalm, he says, “My heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me” (2 Nephi 4:17-18).
Psalm 39: To Know Mine End
David laments his mortality, and states that “every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” But he is not altogether hopeless. “What wait I for?” he asks. “My hope is in thee.”
Psalm 40: A New Song
David expresses gratitude that God pulled him “out of an horrible pit” and then “put a new song in [his] mouth.” Since that time, he has not kept his testimony secret. “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.”
Book of Mormon connection:
- After telling his son about his miraculous conversion, Alma reports, “From that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance” (Alma 36:24).
Today I will trust God, confess and abandon my sins, strive to be meek, and share my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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