Psalm 119: Tav

We made it!  22 stanzas of Psalm 119, and this is the last one.  I feel like I have been writing about it forever. You have been reading about it forever!  This last stanza is one of praise and supplication.  Having understood the importance of God’s Word, the psalmist asks God to help him be a more faithful servant of the Lord.

One of the things we sometimes forget about praising God is that He can actually help us do it!  The ability to recognize and worship God comes from Him.  In Romans 8:18-27, Paul talks about how our souls groan for the redemption of creation and our broken bodies, knowing the hope we have in Christ.  Yet, that time hasn’t come yet, so the Spirit helps us, even by giving us words to pray when we don’t know how to pray.  It is the prelude to the all-too-quoted verse 28:

28 And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose,

Yet, what is often forgotten when this verse is quoted are the verses that bracket it!  I believe that we reference this verse to encourage people out of context.  Additionally, it’s usually not used in a manner that brings comfort!  The reason is because we don’t know what Paul says before it, which would actually be more comforting…that God understands our struggle and the broken world we live in, but He is coming back again one day, and all this will fade away.  The pain we experience in this world will be no more and our ultimate hope is in Jesus, not the way we feel right now.  But the Holy Spirit is with us to help us through it!  In other words, instead of nonchalantly spitting out a bible verse, we should pray and encourage the afflicted to pray for the Holy Spirit, God’s Comforter, to help us and heal us amidst our trials.  Verse 22 talks about us groaning together, so let us show empathy and compassion, supporting one another through difficulty.  Why?  Because of what Paul continues to write after verse 28.  Most people don’t realize verse 28 isn’t a complete statement…there is a comma there!

29 because those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined, these he also called, and those whom he called, these he also justified, and those whom he justified, these he also glorified.

We typically separate this from the rest because we think Paul is taking a hard left turn and introducing us to the doctrine of predestination, which, unfortunately, I believe adulterates the ultimate message.  This isn’t a doctrinal stance to prove Calvinism; it is a perspective on why we go through trials and tribulations!  As mentioned from a previous stanza, it is for the shedding of our inordinate attachments that God continues to allow us to experience trials of many kinds.  Why?  So we can be more like Christ.  Consider what James, Jesus’ brother, wrote in chapter 1 of his letter to the Christian church in Jerusalem:

2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask for it from God, who gives to all without reservation and not reproaching, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask for it in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Usually, I focus on verses 2-4 when I reference this, as it is my life verse.  But this time, regarding Psalm 119:169-176, I think we should focus on verses 5-8!  I only included the introduction for context.  When we encounter various trials, we need to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, because only He can show us how to navigate them and give us comfort in our pain and suffering.  As the psalmist asks for understanding, deliverance, songs of praise, help, life, and direction, he can (i.e., we can) only get it from God Himself!  In this final stanza, the psalmist lays out for us how to ask God in prayer and supplication to help us!  While the bible is full of wisdom and knowledge, it is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that we can live it out.  Let’s never forget that!