Upheld by God’s Hand: Psalm 119:113-120

Upheld by God’s Hand

Psalm 119:113-120

While it’s true that “sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6: 34), God’s grace is equally sufficient to aid the believer when he faces trouble. The same circumstances that often tempt us to anxiety, the ones that pinpoint our weakness, are opportunities for God to show off his power and the sufficiency of his grace.

Katie Faris, He Will Be Enough

Last week our youth class studied Psalm 34:19-22, and we observed the contrast of the wicked and the righteous. We noted that trouble and affliction comes to us all, but whereas “affliction will slay the wicked” (34:21), the Lord delivers the righteous out of all his afflictions (34:19). Also, the wicked will be condemned, however, “none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned” (34:22). Likewise, in this section of Psalm 119, we see a contrast. The wicked are spurned and discarded like dross, whereas the Lord is a hiding place and shield, the upholder of the one who hopes in His Word (119:116, 118-119).

Psalm 119:114 and 116-117 say, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word…Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!” The psalmist is looking to the Lord Himself to sustain and uphold him, to provide the refreshment needed to continue to persevere. He’s crying for the Lord to be faithful to His promise to sustain the righteous (Psalm 37:17) to show that the psalmist’s hope has not been misplaced. He has an expectation of the Lord’s help. However, it is not just that he might experience safety or deliverance. His hope and expectation is that through the sustaining grace and power of God, he would keep the commandments of God and have regard for His statutes continually (119:115,117). Paul, while contemplating the possibility of his death, was concerned that Christ would be magnified (Philippians 1:20). In our daily hardships, where we are seeking the sustaining hand of God, is it our hope that God uphold us in order that we faithfully obey Him and magnify Christ? Is that our end goal? The psalmist wasn’t just seeking God’s deliverance, though he was praying for the sustaining of his physical life (119:116), he was seeking God’s help to honor the Lord when he was in such a circumstance that required God’s deliverance. In this life, we will experience trouble of various kinds and varying degrees. In all the mundane things like getting the kids out of the door or having a conversation with a friend, to the more serious things like the loss of a dearly loved one or a health crisis, we need the upholding hand of God to sustain us and refresh us to not only continue to do all He has called us to, but to honor Him in it. Our ambition as God’s children, in everything we face in life and death, is to be pleasing to Him (2 Corinthians 5:9).

The psalmist had a desire to please the Lord because he knew Him in a deeply personal way. He called the Lord “my God” and looked to Him as his hiding place and shield. He expected that God would uphold him according to God’s promise to him. The psalmist knew that being held by God’s hand meant he was safe. His hope rested on God and His good promise. I love Isaiah 41:10. “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (NASBS). Omnipotent God involves Himself personally with His children. We can run right to Him. We have been given access, confident entrance, into His presence through Christ, and we can know Him as our hiding place and our shield. We can read all the “I am” and “I will” statements of Isaiah 41:10 and say to the Lord, “Uphold me according to your promise.” He is with us. He is our God. He will strengthen. He will help. And He will uphold each one of us with His own hand.

Let’s pray through Psalm 119:113-120 for the Lord to uphold us and help us today.

119:113-114 I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.

Father, we pray:

▫️We would not be double-minded, unstable in all our ways, tossed to and fro like waves in the sea. Our hope and confidence in You would not waver. We would steadfastly trust in You. Is there a situation that you are struggling to trust the Lord? Take a few moments to pour out that situation and your struggle to Him.

▫️You are our hiding place and our shield. Blessed is the one who takes refuge in You (Psalm 34:8). Thank You for being our refuge and strength, our hiding place and our shield. We love Your Word and we hope in it. Is there a promise from His Word that you can hope in today?

119:115-116 Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

Father, we pray:

▫️You would protect us from evildoers. You would help us to be wise and discerning about who we surround ourselves with.

▫️We would have friends and companions that would encourage and model for us obedience to Your commandments.

▫️You would uphold us today. Whether we are feeling a little overwhelmed with the busyness of life, or fighting despair in our sorrowful circumstances, You would uphold and strengthen us with Your hand. You Yourself would be with us and surely help us (Isaiah 41:10). Take a few moments to meditate on the promises in Isaiah 41:10 and what they mean in your particular circumstance.

▫️We would not be put to shame because we have hoped in You. We know this hope will not disappoint because You have poured Your love into our hearts by Your Holy Spirit whom You have given to us (Romans 5:5). As we continue to place our trust in You, we would only prove more and more that what You have promised You will do.

119:117-118 Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually! You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain.

Father, we pray:

▫️Hold us up, sustain and refresh us in order that we might not only make it through this situation, but honor You in it. Give us such a strong ambition to please You (2 Corinthians 5:9), that even in hardship, the affliction doesn’t cloud our vision or cause us to fix our eyes on our circumstances rather than on Christ.

▫️Give us firm resolve to never stray from Your statutes. Remove any deceit, falsehood, or cunning that resides within us. We do not want to deceive others or ourselves. Show us where we are not living to please You or somewhere in our lives where we are not hoping in You and Your promise.

119:119-120 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies. My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.

Father, we pray:

▫️We praise You that though the wicked are discarded like dross and face condemnation, for those who are in Christ and clothed with His righteousness, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). Help us, even in distress, to walk according to the Spirit and not the flesh. Uphold us and help us to look to what is eternal and unseen.

▫️Give us a proper fear of You. Those who fear You shall lack nothing (Psalm 34:9). Those who fear You shall have strong confidence (Proverbs 14:26). That’s what we want. Strong confidence in You and Your ways that all You have ordained for us is for our good, and we will lack nothing as You uphold us each step of the way.

‭‭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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