Psalms 119:153-160
“Look on my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law. Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees. Your compassion, Lord, is great; preserve my life according to your laws. Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes. I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word. See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love. All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.” Psalms 119:153-160
We see so many promises in the Word that God will be near, He will see all of our problems and He will take care of our needs. He has promised this to His people of all ages and the promise still stands.
But how do we reconcile this with the death of a child, the sickness of loved ones, the accident that leaves us paralyzed or so many other things that happen to us? Where is our loving and caring God when our relationships are broken, our best friend betrays us, our job is terminated or we have no money to pay our bills? We just don’t see or understand.
Have you ever felt so alone, so anxious, so weak, so needy, so fearful of the future, or so down in the dumps that you knew you were absolutely helpless to lift yourself up out of your despair, grief, anxiety, or pain? I’ve been there.
I think most of us have gone through tough times, and it seems the psalmist was experiencing particularly hard times when he wrote this portion of Psalm 119. He says he is afflicted and he asks God to deliver him (v 153). He feels unable to help himself and asks God to plead his cause and redeem him (v 154). He is being persecuted by wicked enemies who shun God’s statutes and testimonies (v 155-157), and people he had trusted betrayed him (v 158).
Three times in this passage, the psalmist cries out to God, revive me. It seems he is at the end of his rope. But along with his troubles, these verses also reveal where the psalmist found hope. And his hope is our hope too. Yes, God’s mercies are great and they come to us through His Word and His lovingkindness.
When we are in need of blessed assurance and are desperate for relief, rescue, redemption, and revival, we can know from God’s Word that He is there and generously ready to pour forth His lovingkindness and tender mercies.
We can turn to Him and we can trust Him. The psalmist assures us that the entirety of God’s Word is truth. And every one of His judgments endures forever. He has heard God’s word, read it, taken it to heart, trusted it, relied upon it, and has never been disappointed.
He knows he can always rely upon God’s word because every single word of it endures forever. So he remembers it, clings to it, loves it, and trusts what it says. He is confident that in His mercy, God will revive Him. So read your Bible, study it, and store it away in your mind and in your heart. Then you will always have hope like the psalmist!!!
Father thank You for this day and we stand in awe at your wisdom, your power and your great love for us. Lord open the windows of heaven and let your abundant blessings flow over my friend and family today. Lord we do not understand how a God of the universe and over all time can care about us and love us enough to make it possible for us to live with You now and forever. Lord we do accept Your forgiveness for our sin. Lord give us a pure heart of genuine love for You and thank You for the freedoms and the opportunities we enjoy every day in You. Lord use my friend to be someone’s blessing today. Be a blessing. Love ya
Father, we love you amen.
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