Psalm 119:50

Psalm 119:50

Your promise preserves my life

Very few people find comfort in suffering. Suffering brings depression, fear, darkness and, in some cases, can even produce a death wish! Suffering asks many questions: Why me? How long? What’s the point? Where is the relief? Who can rescue me? Some suffering is physical and drains our energy and stamina, only being relieved by drugs. Other forms of suffering rob us of sleep, make us very introspective and remove all joy and hope. Modern health care tries to help sufferers in many different ways, but there’s still a battle to be won with our thoughts, in the middle of the night!

The psalmist has obviously suffered greatly and may even have faced the threat of death, it is curious to hear him say, “Your promise preserves my life.” What does he mean? Obviously, he is hanging on to some word of truth, some directive from heaven that brings reassurance that things are either not as bad as they seem, or the current situation will not last. There is an end to it. In other words, there is hope. That’s the thing, when our lives are in God’s hands, when we put our faith in His Word, when we recognise the power and purpose of One who is greater and more knowledgeable than we are, there is always hope. God has promised, He makes countless promises and when He does, He keeps His Word. It is up to us to seek His face and hear His voice, even in the midst of darkness. And when He speaks, let’s have no doubt that our Father will keep His Word. Hallelujah! 

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