I Would Have Perished in My Affliction: Psalm 119:89-96

I Would Have Perished in My Affliction

Psalm 119:89-96

Our affliction, if it had not been for divine grace, would have crushed us out of existence, so that we should have perished.

Charles Spurgeon

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt desperate? Did suffering ever lead to feelings of despair? In this section of Psalm 119, the psalmist's trouble had him to the point of despairing of life. He says, “I would have perished in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92). However, his life was sustained. The psalmist says he would have perished. Which means, though death seemed the natural outcome, he had not perished. The conditional clause that precedes this statement tells us why he didn’t die in his affliction; why he continued to press on despite his dire situation. It was not dependent on his deliverance from his affliction, because just a few verses later he cries to God, “Save me!” because the wicked are still pursuing him. So what kept him from perishing in his affliction? “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” God’s Word as the delight of his soul kept him from perishing beneath the weight of his affliction. How could it be? What about God’s law kept him steady in his time of trial?

There is something powerful about the Word of God, the God-breathed words found in the Bible. God, who spoke all of creation into being, upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3), and this same God has spoken to us and given us words to live upon in prosperity and adversity. Paul tells us in Romans 15:4, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” God gives us hope through the endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures.

The psalmist knew the words that came from God's mouth were unique. He tells us, “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (119:89). He staked his life upon God's Word because he knew God's Word was firmly fixed and unchanging, an expression of the faithfulness of God that endures to all generations (Psalm 119:90). The psalmist could look around and observe creation. God brought the earth into existence with a word, and it continued to stand fast (Psalm 119:91), so he knew God would continue to help him stand fast in his affliction through the strength imparted to him through His Word. The psalmist recognized "all things are your servants" (Psalm 119:91). The earth, all created things, and even affliction operates under the rule of God. All things are His servants accomplishing His will and under His restraining hand. This is why he could say, "If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction." The powerful, faithful, sustaining word of God was the psalmist's delight, and in it he found encouragement for his soul and endurance to continue to cry, "I am yours; save me" (Psalm 119:94). He relied on the life-giving power of God's Word and on God to be his hope in adversity.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, came and died and rose again so that we would be united to Him and be strengthened with might by His Spirit to partake of the divine blessings which are ours in Him. Those blessings include hope that cannot be destroyed. Paul testifies, "we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us" (2 Corinthians 1:8-10 NASB). Paul and his companions, like the psalmist, had despaired of life. But that was not the end. They set their hope in God, and they were not disappointed. Their souls were revived with confidence in the deliverance of God.

Are you looking for hope in your affliction? Are you feeling desperate for strength, endurance, and encouragement? Then believe God. Believe what He says about His Word. He tells us His Word was written to give us hope. Come to it. Delight yourself in it. Delight in and come to know intimately our Savior, who Himself is called the Word. You will find that He is faithful, His Word is firm, and He will do what He has promised. Through the endurance and through the encouragement of the Word, we will find hope. Hope will uphold us so that we will be able to say, “I would have perished in my affliction, but His Word was a delight to my soul, and it sustained and revived me."

Let's pray through Psalm 119:89-96 for a deeper love and dependence on the Word of God as God's instrument of endurance, encouragement, and hope for our souls.

119:89-90 Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

Lord, I pray:

▫️Your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your word is so powerful that it brought everything I see into existence and upholds it. I thank You that You have given me Your Word that I can read, study, know, and love. Your Word holds so much power for my life, in good times and in bad. Help me to believe that time spent in Your Word is never wasted.

▫️I praise You for Your great faithfulness which endures to all generations. The faithfulness You displayed to Your people of old is the same faithfulness that I can rely on and place my confidence in. Thank You for the evidences in creation that I can see with my own eyes that can remind me that You are faithful. You have sustained all things until now. You will sustain and uphold me.

119:91-92 By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

Lord, I pray:

▫️All things are Your servants. This affliction bows to Your command. You have in wisdom brought this affliction to me though I do not understand why or what purposes You are accomplishing. I know You are producing things in me that would not be produced had I not suffered this affliction. I know You are working all these things for my good. This affliction is Your servant and it will accomplish what You have purposed for it to accomplish.

▫️Help me to believe that Your Word is truly exactly what I need in these hard days. Help me to feast on and delight in Your Word. I know that You have given Your Word in order to give me hope. Fill me with Your hope as I in faith come to Your Word. Through the endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, give me hope.

▫️Though at times I feel as though I am despairing of life and beyond strength, let that cause me to turn my attention to trusting in You and relying on You, knowing that deliverance will come from Your hand. Christ is mine, and in Christ I have hope.

119:93-94 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.

Lord, I pray:

▫️Revive me again through Your Word. During this affliction, show me who You are. Display Your goodness, kindness, compassion, care, tenderness, and love in the midst of my adversity. Through Your Word, show me where I have strayed from Your precepts, and help me to never forget them.

▫️I am Yours, save me. I am so thankful I belong to You. You are sovereign over my life. You are both Mighty God and gentle and lowly Savior. You have the power to govern all these difficult circumstances and relationships in my life. You also draw near to me, inclining Yourself to me as I cry out to You.

119:95-96 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies. I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

Lord, I pray:

▫️No matter what I face today, whether it be wicked people who are trying to destroy me or harsh circumstances that would weigh me down, help me to diligently consider Your testimonies. As I partake of Your Word, settle it firmly in my heart and mind and bring it to my remembrance in the stressful moments of this day.

▫️Your truth sets me free. Your Word is a broad and freeing way to live. Following Your ways found in Your word produces confidence, hope, firmness, trust, and joy in me. Help me to drink deeply from the Scriptures, trusting You will work in me through it.

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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