Psalm 119 Devotional
22 Days: Knowing is Loving
Day 7 (Zayin – verses 49-56)
Remember the word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me. The arrogant utterly deride me, yet I do not turn aside from Your law. I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O’ Lord, and comfort myself. Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked, who forsake Your law. Your statutes are my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. O’ Lord, I remember Your name in the night, and keep Your law. This has become mine, that I observe Your precepts.
As we read the first line of this stanza, do we find the irony that is presented to us? Has God ever forgotten you or me? Yet here the psalmist is saying, “I really hope that You do not forget me, Lord.” Is that not us at times? We find ourselves lamenting that God has forgotten us. The history of God’s word of course tells us otherwise. We were destined for death, but the Father sent His Son for our salvation (Romans 6:23). Even as we are in line with the hope we have in Christ, we do find ourselves stuck in challenging spots. Sin is present and we deal with the consequences of our own actions or the consequences of living in a fallen world. But grab hold of the hope that is found in God’s word and hold on for revival.
Placing our hope in the perfect word of God can easily earn us disdain, yet as we humble ourselves and place every bit of hope there, we find it impossible to stray from God’s word and His truth. Arrogance and pride are directly opposed to humility and that is a challenge. Humility runs in partnership with submission. But the more we know of God’s word and His eternal power that has no beginning or end, the more comfortable we can find ourselves as we humble ourselves and submit. I often think of the Apostle Paul as he had everything that the world deemed important, yet he lacked Jesus. He then found himself lacking what the world thought important, but He had everything in Jesus.
Keeping in the word is challenging just as keeping to the word of God is challenging. Keeping to those areas is hard as we look around at a world which often only seeks to keep its own way. Might we say, “how dare they do that.” It is not anger nor indignation that we want, but rather let us be singing the joys of the word of God as we travel through this world. Let us seek everything that we can from God’s word, both in the good times and the hard times. God’s word can become ours for every moment.
Father, You have given everything to me. May I cling to Your word as I seek revival in my heart through Your word. Lord, I have these challenging areas happening to me right now (speak them out) and I am submitting them all to You. Lord Jesus, submission is hard for me, but I know that You submitted to the will of the Father. Lord let me, like You, submit everything, and humble myself in every way to You right now. Thank you, my Lord and my God for me always finding comfort in Your word.