Psalm 119:73–80 NKJV
73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me; Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. 74 Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, Because I have hoped in Your word. 75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. 76 Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to Your word to Your servant. 77 Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; For Your law is my delight. 78 Let the proud be ashamed, For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; But I will meditate on Your precepts. 79 Let those who fear You turn to me, Those who know Your testimonies. 80 Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, That I may not be ashamed. When I read this stanza today, four statements struck me. I immediately thought, “For me at least, these truths are anchors for the soul.” I do not imply that means these are the most important truths in Scripture, nor even that they are the most important for me and should be for you. What I mean is that I find these four statements to be foundational, and when my world is being rocked, these truths are stabilizing. Like when my boat is being rocked in a stormy sea, knowing these things serves as an anchor for my soul! What are they? 73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me; I am saddened when I think how few people in our culture today KNOW this fact, that each of us has been fashioned by the Almighty Himself.
I find it so comforting to know that God made me as I am, warts and all!
75 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, It also stabilizes me to know that God´s judgments are right. Period! Settled. So many struggle with things the Bible says about God that does not suit their sensibilities. Things like
The only way to keep from being in this uncomfortable position is to settle in our hearts what David testifies to throughout this psalm – namely that God´s Word is perfect. When I came to the place to believe that in my life, it was such an anchor to my soul! That does not mean that I never question. I do. But if the answer that is coming to my mind points to some portion of God´s Word being wrong, I instantly know that I am in error, and I retreat! It is so very comforting to know for sure that there is a source of absolute truth – the Word of our God! in faithfulness You have afflicted me. This was the subject of yesterday´s blog, but let me just add a word as to why it is an anchor to my soul. Even when chastening comes, it so comforts and stabilizes me to know that God´s purpose is not punitive but correctional. In all things, God desires the best for me! 77 Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; It also greatly reduces my anxiety from day to day, especially in difficult days, to know that I live by God´s tender mercies and not according to my own merits. Folks, I would rather have the results of the mercies of the Lord any hour of any day than for God to give me what I deserve! Great is Your faithfulness, oh God! Your mercies are new every morning!
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