LIFE IS HARD! TRUST GOD!
Psalm 119:81-88
My soul longs for your
salvation;
I hope in your word.
My eyes long for your
promise;
I ask, “When will you
comfort me?”
For I have become like a
wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten
your statutes.
How long must your servant
endure?
When will you judge those
who persecute me?
The insolent have dug
pitfalls for me;
they do not live according
to your law.
All your commandments are
sure;
they persecute me with
falsehood; help me!
They have almost made an
end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken
your precepts.
In your steadfast love
give me life,
that I may keep the
testimonies of your mouth.
Is the writer desperate?
Is he without hope? He certainly is battling his feelings, and his situation is
hard! I love the fact that, as believers, we do not have to pretend that life
is easy or that there are not times when we long for reprieve.
It is during the hard
times that our commitment to God is exposed. It is during the dark times that we
find out where we look for light and direction.
The psalmist desires the
salvation of the Lord and sets his hope on the Word. He is not deterred; he
depends completely on the Word to inform him and help him understand what is
right. He desires to be freed, but he will not hope in man or in man’s
solutions, but only in what he knows is true and trustworthy.
Certainly, he wants theory
to become practice. He wants to see with his eyes the fleshing out of God’s
promises. He wants comfort, and he knows it will come from God but he is losing
his strength. The wineskin was getting dried out by the smoke and therefore it
was losing its elasticity, putting it in danger of breaking. The writer feels
that he is arriving at the end of his ability to cope with his situations. Have
we been there? Are you there now? The writer, inspired by God, is an example of
resolve; he will not forget and forsake the instructions of God.
He is surrounded by the
ungodly. They are attacking him with no concern for the law of God. Their
actions are making his life hard. In fact, they are trying to make him stumble.
He knows that God’s statutes are true, but he needs help!
He needs help not to
forget and to persevere. Oh, how we need to remember what is true about God
while we endure difficulties that seem to push us beyond our abilities.
Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives
way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the
sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
Hebrews 4:14-16
Since then we have a
great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable
to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been
tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to
the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time
of need.
Way too often, we have decided what the outcome of
the situation should be and we measure God’s performance based on what we expect,
instead of trusting Him for the solution. God wants us to trust Him for both
the outcome and the strength.
The writer knows that
there is something that will not change, that can be trusted: that is God’s
unending and unchanging love. It was not given to us based on our performance
and it will continue only on the basis of God’s faithfulness.
As long as he has life, he
will he will keep and trust the ways of God. May God help us to have that kind
of resolve, no matter how hard things get.
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