A Prayer for Comfort in Affliction: Psalm 119:49-56

A Prayer for Comfort in Affliction

Psalm 119:49-56

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly…

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭1‬-2a

For the souls weighed down by oppression and affliction, they long for comfort and rest. Questions may rise. Does God care? How long will this last? Will I feel this way forever? Will my sorrow ever come to an end? Will I feel joy again? What comfort can be mine now in the midst of my suffering?

God cares for the afflicted

For twenty years Jacob suffered at the hand of his oppressor. Deceived and cheated many times, Laban's authority and power over him put Jacob in a position of vulnerability. At times, he was even fearful. The story of Laban’s mistreatment of Jacob can be found in Genesis 29-31. Truly, these years were years of affliction for Jacob. But God had given him a promise, "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (Genesis 28:15). God made a promise to Jacob, and He fulfilled it, even when Jacob may have been tempted to doubt because of the affliction and oppression which he endured.

While we see the harm Laban intended for Jacob, we also see how God blessed Jacob and preserved him despite his circumstances. God caused Jacob to prosper. Jacob became “exceedingly prosperous,” even while Laban tried to cheat him (Genesis 30:42-43). In fact, God took away Laban's wealth and gave it to Jacob (31:16). God saw Jacob's suffering and acted. God Himself came to Jacob and said, "I have seen all that Laban is doing to you" (31:12). Because of what He saw, God gave Jacob guidance and then directed him to take his family and leave. God protected Jacob. Jacob testified to his wives that "God did not permit him [Laban] to harm me" (31:7). At the height of danger for Jacob and his family, God intervened to rescue him. Laban himself bore witness that "it is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad'" (31:29). All of this led Jacob to say to Laban in their last exchange, "If the God of my father...had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you" (31:42). Jacob is vindicated, and God fulfilled His Word. Here we are given a record of God’s care for the afflicted and His faithfulness to keep His promises.

The psalmist’s comfort in affliction

At the beginning of this section of Psalm 119, the psalmist says, “Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope” (119:49). A call to remember is a call to act. He is asking God to do for him what God said He would do. “Whatever your special need may be, you may readily find some promise in the Bible suited to it…take that promise to the throne continually…Feast your faith upon God's own word, and whatever your fears or wants, repair to the Bank of Faith with your Father's note of hand, saying, ‘Remember Your word to Your servant, for You have given me hope’” (Spurgeon). Do you hear what Spurgeon is saying? Whatever our affliction, God has a promise in His Word upon which we may rest our hope, in which we may find comfort. The psalmist continues saying, “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life” (119:50). He looked to God’s promises for his comfort. We have a Book filled with promises for us. This is our comfort in our affliction: He has given us precious and very great promises (2 Peter 1:4), and He will fulfill them. The promises made by our Father found in His Word revive our heart and provide consolation in our dark days. Even when our affliction includes those who scorn, deride, or treat us contentiously, whether openly or covertly, we can take comfort as we think on His promises (119:51-52). The hope and comfort He gives will become songs we sing as we are sojourners in this temporary home, awaiting our permanent and perfect home (119:54). The psalmist’s hope and comfort rest on God’s promise. And this comfort is available to us.

Our comfort in affliction

This too is our comfort in our affliction: He will fulfill His promises to us. What verse from Scripture speaks to your situation? What promise are you taking to the Bank of Faith? What promise are you asking God to remember and act on your behalf? What sweet consolation is your hope resting upon? God blessed Jacob in the midst of his oppression. He promises to bless us as well, even preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23:5). God saw Jacob’s suffering, and He sees ours. He is El Roi-the God who sees (Genesis 16:13). He sees our suffering, oppression, and affliction. He sees our tears, despair, discouragement, and weariness. God was on Jacob’s side as he walked through years of affliction. He is for us and on our side as well (Romans 8:31). Let His statutes be your songs in the house of your sojourning, this temporary dwelling place and this momentary affliction while you take refuge in the shadow of His wings (Psalm 63:7; 2 Corinthians 4:17). We will be able to testify with Jacob that God has been our Shepherd all of our lives (Genesis 48:15).

Trace the faithfulness of God throughout Jacob’s life and follow the psalmist’s example. Come to the God of all comfort, search His Book full of promises, and let your hope fully rest on Him. You will find Him, and you will find comfort in your deepest affliction. Let’s pray through this section of Psalm 119 for His comfort in our affliction.

119:49-50 Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

Lord, I pray:

▫️I would believe the promises You have given me in the midst of this affliction. When fears or sorrows rise within me, bring Your promise to my mind and renew my hope through Your Word. Is there a specific encouragement from the Scriptures that the Lord has given you? If not, pray that the Lord would uphold you with His Word and show you what you ought to pray.

▫️You would hear my groaning, and You would arise for my help and perform good and mighty deeds in my heart and in my situation. I pray for strength and courage for __________. Do not let me lose hope as I wait for You to act on my behalf.

▫️Comfort me in my affliction. You see and You understand the heaviness of my heart. Revive me with Your Word of comfort. What heavy emotions are you feeling due to your affliction? Take a minute to pour those out to the Lord and cry to Him for comfort.

119:51-52 The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law. When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord.

Lord, I pray:

▫️My hardship is deepened because there is someone in my life who scorns me. The wounds they inflict pierce my heart. Help me to not turn away from Your law. You have called me to love my enemies and to do good to those who spitefully use me. Give me a desire to do good to those who deride me. If there is someone contributing to the difficulty of your situation, pray for that person now.

▫️My thoughts would continue to turn to Your promises in Your Word. When I am downcast or tempted to sin today, recall to my mind Your truth and give me the will to submit myself to the Spirit's guidance.

▫️You have promised eternal comfort and good hope. Comfort and strengthen my heart today in every good work and word (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

119:53-54 Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.

Lord, I pray:

▫️Help me to be less concerned about the wrong committed against me and more concerned that others are forsaking Your law. Give me a righteous indignation about the breaking of Your law.

▫️Your statutes would indeed be my songs in the house of my sojourning. As I sing Your truth to myself, Your words would remind me that this life is temporary, and this is affliction is momentary, and there is eternal comfort and joy prepared for me. Singing truth would fill me with hope, surrender to Your will, and comfort my weary heart.

119:55-56 I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts.

Lord, I pray:

▫️Though this night may be long, I would remember Your name. I would remember that You are Almighty God, my Good Shepherd, and with You I shall lack nothing.

▫️You have blessed my life with many good things. I praise You that You see my suffering and You hear my cries for help. Thank You that I know for certain that I will never walk alone. You will always be with me. Thank You for Your promise that You are a stronghold for the oppressed in their day of trouble (Psalm 9:9). Is there a promise from His Word that you are thankful for its comfort in this time of distress?

▫️Please help me to walk in faithful obedience to You, submitting all my ways to Your ways, even when the way seems hard. Help me to keep Your precepts.

May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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