Psalms 31:16
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies’ sake.
Main message
Psalm 31:16: The request for God’s face to shine and save by steadfast love asks for gracious favor, not a visible facial sign or a technique for securing divine approval.
Meaning in context
Psalm 31:14–18 · Trust renewed in danger — Verses 14–18 answer danger with “You are my God,” place the speaker’s times in God’s hand, and ask for saving favor and just silencing of lying speech.
The request for God’s face to shine and save by steadfast love asks for gracious favor, not a visible facial sign or a technique for securing divine approval.
Further teachings
Trust renewed in danger
The request for God’s face to shine and save by steadfast love asks for gracious favor, not a visible facial sign or a technique for securing divine approval.
Cross References: Psalm 31:16 — Psalm 31:14–18.
Applications in daily life
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Psalm 31:16
The request for God’s face to shine and save by steadfast love asks for gracious favor, not a visible facial sign or a technique for securing divine approval.
The shining-face image is relational and poetic, not a visible omen or guaranteed emotional sensation.
Related Bible passages and resources
- Psalm 31 (complete chapter)
Psalm 31 moves repeatedly between refuge and distress: the speaker entrusts himself to the LORD, describes grief, rejection, slander, and danger, and continues to call on God for deliverance. The poem does not minimize embodied suffering or social fear, yet it repeatedly returns to trust, God’s steadfast love, and the confession that the speaker’s times are in God’s hand. The closing movement widens from personal testimony to praise, love for the LORD, and courage for all who hope in him. Its language of enemies, Sheol, hidden shelter, and recompense belongs to prayer and divine justice, not private retaliation or withdrawal from practical help.
- Psalm 31:15
Read the previous verse to preserve the movement.
- Psalm 31:17
Continue with the next verse to preserve the movement.
- Study the Book of Psalms
Keep the verse within Psalm 31’s movement from refuge, through grief and threat, to renewed trust, praise, and courageous hope.
Common misreadings
The shining-face image is relational and poetic, not a visible omen or guaranteed emotional sensation.
The request for God’s face to shine and save by steadfast love asks for gracious favor, not a visible facial sign or a technique for securing divine approval.
How to Apply Psalms 31:16
Use Psalms 31:16 as a daily declaration. Speak it over your circumstances, inserting your name where relevant. Let its promise from Psalms anchor your perspective as you navigate decisions related to from Scripture, and share it with one person who might need it today.
Sources & Method
Biblical text
Commentary anchored in the public-domain Psalm 31 text used by the site.
- Author:
- The Lord Will Editorial Team
- Reviewed by:
- Ugo Candido
- Last updated:
- Reviewed on: