Psalm 119: Lamedh

Maybe it’s just the way I am feeling this morning, but this stanza seems more peaceful.  It is as if the psalmist turned a corner in his attitude as he writes this and the following few stanzas.  There is a certainty written in verses 89-91 that brings a calm about me.  Knowing that everything is God’s and He holds it all in His hands.  This should be comforting!  Of course, that all depends on your relationship with God and your view of Him.

On of the ways our spiritual enemy has caused chaos in the universe is calling into question God’s sovereignty.  When Adam and Eve were first tempted by Satan, these were the things he called into question.  He made them doubt that God knows what He is doing and that He knows what is best.  When we are able to understand those things are true, we can rest in Him.  The psalmist knew that and I believe that is what he is communicating here.

The opposite, however, is also true!  When we do not trust God’s sovereignty and goodness, then we will perish in our affliction. In other words, if our view of God is something other than Him having control and He is good, we will experience turmoil.  Verse 92 highlights this sentiment.

But maybe you are like me.  I believe those things in my head.  I have witnessed God’s control and goodness over many difficult circumstances.  Yet, I don’t always act as though I believe it!  The revelation of God’s goodness and sovereignty hasn’t fully penetrated my heart, which is why sometimes I try to take things into my own hands or question what God is doing.  How do we deal with that???  I believe the psalmist also struggled with these things, which is why he didn’t end the stanza there.  Verses 93-96 give us the “secret code” to trusting God.

By studying God’s Word, we learn more about Him and His heart.  We see testimonies of how He saves His people, is for us, and loves us.  He is compassionate.  He is true.  He is grace.  When we seek His precepts and diligently consider His testimonies, we learn that He is trustworthy.

As humans, our trust has been broken.  We tend to view God through the lens of our broken relationships, failures, disappointments, and discouragement.  We judge God through the remnant of our interactions with other humans.  It is the inverse of what Satan tempted Adam and Eve with, “you will be like God;” we also treat people like God in that we assume God will interact with us the same way humans do and therefore struggle to trust Him.  “If my dad let me down…if my mom was untrustworthy…if my spouse hurt my feelings…then certainly God will too.”  Maybe we wouldn’t say that out loud, but that is how we behave in our lack of trust in God!

So, how do we combat this?  By studying God’s Word! If we can sift through the riffraff of this fallen world, broken relationships, and disappointments of life, we can begin to hear clearly from the Lord and understand who He really is!  Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Maybe we blame God for making it so difficult.  It seems unfair, as if the cards are stacked against us.  The truth is: we have set ourselves up for this!  The door opens to blame God but as we read through God’s Word, we come to understand that once He gave us the responsibility of caring for creation and each other, we chose not to trust Him and do it our own way.  That’s when everything falls apart.

I encourage you to take what little faith you may have and trust God with that.  As the man with the tormented boy said to Jesus, “help me with my unbelief!”  Maybe that’s the most honest prayer you can muster right now.  To go a little further, whenever you recognize that you are struggling to trust God, ask Him for help!  Tell Him the struggles you have.  Let Him know what is preventing you from believing more that He is who He says He is.  In that act alone you are recognizing His sovereignty and goodness…or else why would you pray in the first place?  Jesus tells us simply, “whatever you continue to ask for in My name, the Father will give it to you.”