God’s Mercies According to His Word

Are you feeling down? Are you physically and emotionally tired from the onslaught of the world around you? If you are, then this stanza of Psalm 119 will be of help to you.

The psalmist opens this stanza with five imperatives in his urgent plea to God (119:153-154). He prays that God will have Regard for his situation and Rescue him out of the oppression of the wicked. He asks God for Redress as his advocate, so that he would be Redeemed from his adversity. He asks God to Revive him according to the promises of His word to give life and strength to His people. His prayer for God’s intervention is based off of his continued faithfulness to God’s word.

In his great time of distress he acknowledges the tender mercies of God towards His people (119:155-156). In contrast, God does not listen to or deliver the wicked. They prove their wickedness by refusing to honor God by obeying His word. In the midst of this great evil the psalmist asks God for the strength to remain faithful.

The psalmist calls on God to remember his loving obedience to God’s commands by giving him life in this dangerous situation (119:57-59). The psalmist is surrounded by adversaries, and yet he remains faithful to the Lord. His love for God includes a hatred of the evil around him. He desperately needs God’s life giving help that God promises to His covenant people.

The psalmist concludes with a great declaration about the word of God. God’s word is truth from beginning to end. It brings life and understanding to all situations of life. It is absolutely and eternally reliable because God Himself is truth (John 14:6).

From The Pastor