“When it rains, it pours!” A common colloquialism that we often hear when people face one struggle after another in their lives. Sometimes these struggles are simply inconveniences, and other times they are serious life altering situations. Whatever the cause for our struggles, our feelings of frustration can be overwhelming. Continual struggle leads some to seek the Lord’s comfort, others to strike out in anger at those around them, and still others to cry out to God questioning the reasons for their oppression.
This section of Psalm 119 reveals the psalmist’s prayerful reaction to the continual struggles he is enduring. His prayer is heavily focused on his pleas for the Lord’s deliverance. However, he is not simply begging to be set free from the struggles he faces, but rather as he is crying out to God for mercy and salvation, he is also putting his full trust in the promises of God. He says in verse 148, “My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.” He knows that God is faithful and his love endures. He knows that in the moments of struggle and hardship, his heart will benefit not from living in self-pity but from meditating on the Word of God. Later in verse 151 he says, “Yet you are near, Lord, and all your commands are true.” He is taking comfort in the understanding that though the wicked and lawless are near, God will stay close.
In the world we live in today, some days (maybe more than we’d like to admit) we begin our day with the thought of “What next?” We may have allowed ourselves to get to the point of expecting the worst or just waiting for things to get harder. The struggles of daily life overwhelming our hearts and minds. Let’s stop. Let’s take the time to refocus and follow the example the psalmist sets and intentionally meditate on the Word. In addition to pleading for deliverance, let’s take the time to remember that even in the midst of hard times, the Lord is near. Let’s praise Him for that and glorify Him with our thoughts, words, and actions even in the midst of our own struggles. Let’s react prayerfully as we trust in God’s faithfulness.
VC Devotionals 