Psalm 119 Devotional
22 Days: Knowing is Loving
Day 20 (Resh – verses 153-160)
Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I do not forget Your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statues. Great are Your mercies, O’ Lord; revive me according to Your ordinances. Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies. I behold the treacherous and loath them, because they do not keep Your word. Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me O’ Lord, according to Your lovingkindness. The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
If we look upon the afflictions that we have overcome throughout our lives, we certainly do come to the conclusion that God is faithful. We can learn of His faithfulness from the beginning as we spend time immersed in His word. As the psalmist plainly points out for us, we need to remember what God has told us. Redeeming and reviving – these two words have been a common occurrence throughout this psalm. Are these two words common to us as we cry out to the Lord? We probably all have those great moments of prayer where they are present. Of course, do we want redemption and revival? What is God calling us to in our redemption, what is God calling us to in our revival? An action that shines His light and brings Him glory.
The Lord has great mercies and He is working on a revival in each of us that can allow us to accomplish the plans which He has for each of us (John 15:12). Are we willing to be a shining light for the Lord as He does great work in us? The psalmist certainly seems to be coming to a conclusion that serving the Lord is a great thing to do, but it never comes without persecution and adversaries. How about if we consider our prayers that we make to the Lord and consider how we have acted in light of those prayers. What has been our response to the actions that He has called us to, the actions we have taken, or the actions we have not taken. Our redemption and our revival came at a great cost to our Savior Jesus. Therefore, is some persecution and encountering some who resist the work that God calls us to really too much for us to handle? Remember, the word of God calls us to endure; that gives us the understanding that challenges are going to be before us.
Do we see how the psalmist cries out to the Lord about those who persecute him, but then quickly moves into a prayer of great confidence in the lovingkindness of the Lord. We can either stay stuck, in fear of persecution, and focusing on the actions of others, or we can move forward in faith based on the word of God. Remember in verse 105, the picture of God’s word lighting our way? Take that promise and add it to the fact that God’s word is fully truthful and eternal and bring that into our prayer lives. The revival in us that God is prepared to do will grow into a revival in our families and in our communities. Let us all praise God in our prayers as we cry for redemption and revival.
My Lord and my God, I praise You with every part of my life. You have redeemed and You have revived me. Lord, I am confident that there is more to do for You in me, and for me to do in service to You. Lord, I am ready. Lord take my focus and move it to what You desire in my life. May I stop being distracted from the work You call me in love to do. Lord Jesus, You gave everything for me, may I give everything in this life for You. Thank you, my Lord and my God.