Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:19-20 NKJV

I was pointing out the other day the connection between parts of Psalm 23 and other Scripture. Verse 19 here, about how God prepares His goodness for us in the presence of men, is a “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” verse.

Being hidden in the secret place from the plots of man reminds me of Psalm 91 and how God is your refuge as you dwell in the shadow of the almighty. It reminds me of other psalms too, like 37, where we are not left in the hands of the enemy, and how God just laughs at those plotting against the righteous.

During different slander attacks, I certainly turned to this chapter and verse 20, how He hides me from the strife of tongues.

I flipped the translation today, even though I read it in the ESV, because NKJV is the translation I memorize, so I’m more familiar with the phrases in it, and I liked the NKJV phrase, “the secret place of Your presence.”