Savoring the Scripture

I Trust You Even When… Psalm 143 Trust implies more than this, it sees and feels, and leans upon a person, a great, true, living heart of love. So let us ‘trust also in him,’ through all the delays, in spite of all the difficulties, in the face of all the denials, notwithstanding all the seemings, even when we cannot understand the way, and know not the issue; still ‘trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.’ The way will open, the right issue will come, the end will be peace, the cloud will be lifted, and the light of an eternal noonday shall shine at last. Streams in the Desert Earlier in the Psalms, the psalmist beautifully said, “I believed, even when I spoke: ‘I am greatly afflicted’”(116:10). I thought of that verse as I read and studied Psalm 143. Tucked into the middle of this lament psalm, David says, “in you I trust” (143:8). I cling to these examples of saints who, even when they are afflicted and their hardships seem more than they can bear, they choose to believe an...

Praise in the Pain Psalm 119:105-112 The nature of the psalmist’s affliction is such that he is continually at risk. He is determined to be loyal to the Lord…His joy and determination to please the Lord are much greater than the constant affliction with which he lives. VanGemeren  Many of us have heard the story of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas had come to Philippi, and while preaching the gospel, Paul liberates a young girl from a demon. However, her masters who had gained profit through her fortune-telling are enraged and they bring Paul and Silas before the city magistrates. Paul and Silas are stripped, beaten with many blows with rods, thrown into prison, and their feet are fastened in stocks. However, God’s Word tells us that “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts‬ ‭16‬:‭25‬). In the dark hours of the night and the dark place of affliction, they were praying and s...

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 y...

It Is Good For Me That I Was Afflicted  Psalm 119:65-72  Faith can make use of the waters of affliction to swim faster to Christ. Thomas Watson  "It is good for me that I was afflicted" (119:71). What enables a man or woman to say this? Trouble, distress, affliction. These usually cause our shoulders to droop a bit more and our hearts to start complaining. How can we have a perspective that sees our affliction as good? In the hardships we face right now, can we see anything profitable? In Psalm 119:65-72, the psalmist shows us truth that can shape our view of affliction. He shows us God's good character, God's good Word, and God's good work. We will walk through these and see how the psalmist can conclude that his affliction was indeed good for him. With the eyes of faith, we too can look at our affliction as good. Earlier in the psalms, it tells us that those who know God's name put their trust in Him (9:10). To know His name is to know His character. In this...

Prayer and Praise for Deliverance Psalm  107 The Lord's deliverances are of the most complete and triumphant kind, he neither leaves the soul in darkness nor in bonds, nor does he permit the powers of evil again to enthrall the liberated captive. What he does is done for ever. Charles Spurgeon Psalm 107 begins the fifth and final book of the Psalms. It is a psalm filled with hope. Two verses are repeated throughout the psalm. “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress” (107:6,13,28), followed by, “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!” (107:8,21,31). Through various trouble,  distress, fainting, longing, darkness, shadow of death, affliction, destruction, and storms, the people of God know on Whom they should call, and their God delivers. And “the Lord delights to come in when no one else can be of the slightest avail” (Spurgeon).  The psalmist calls on whoever is wise t...

Courage in Times of Deep Water Psalm 69 I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. Psalm 69:2 In our psalm today, David expresses his hardships in vivid language. We can sense his desperation when we read the first few verses that describe his difficulty with phrases like “the waters come up to my neck,” and “I sink in deep mire.” He continues, “I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.” He’s weary with his crying. His throat is parched  because of his continual cries. He is weary with waiting on God. We do not know the circumstances that have brought David to this place where he feels like he is drowning in affliction, but I’m thankful we do not have all the details. In his commentary on the Psalms, Longman says, “The troubles are not specific, which is in keeping with the purpose of the Psalms to provide templates of prayers for later worshippers who have similar, though not identical, issues.” Without specifics, we are able to insert ourselves ...

Tested and Tried Psalm 66 The reason the Lord holds you to the fire is not to punish you, but to reveal the splendor of Christ through your life. Mary Kassian  Proverbs 25:4 says, “Take away the dross from the silver and there comes out a vessel for the smith.” The purification of silver happens when silver goes through the process of heating. The dross, the worthless part and impurities, separates from the pure silver and can then be poured off. Through this process the silversmith obtains a useful substance, a vessel fit for the task of its master. Throughout Scripture God uses this analogy to describe His work in our lives. He tests us in the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10). In the afflictions of life, He is refining us, purifying us. Peter tells us that though we are distressed by various trials, it is to show the genuineness of our faith, a faith more precious than gold or silver, tested by fire, to result in praise and honor and glory (1 Peter 1:6-7). And in Psalm 66, th...

Regarded as Sheep Psalm 44 As it is written, “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Romans 8:36 NKJV We love a happy ending. We love to hear of Job’s restoration after his loss and suffering. We look at the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and rejoice at God’s mighty and miraculous deliverance. And we should! What hope many a believer has received that God wondrously works on behalf of His people. But 40 years of suffering? A lifetime spent in bondage? Counted as sheep to be slaughtered? We don’t like to contemplate that.  Jeremiah spent over 40 years warning his people to repent because God was sending the Babylonians to capture them, and they ridiculed him and abused him. Before the Exodus, there were many Israelites who died while in bondage still looking for the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham. Throughout the ages, God’s people have suffered chains, imprisonment, ridicule, rejection, and death.  But this reali...

This Transient Life Psalm 39 It is his right to do as he wills, and he always wills to do that which is wisest and kindest; why should I then arraign his dealings? Nay, if it be indeed the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good. Charles Spurgeon Life has always been filled with transitions and changes. Many are good changes: births, promotions, marriages, or growing up to name a few. Sometimes changes bring difficulties we didn’t anticipate. There are changes that cause us to be perplexed and confused about the direction the Lord is leading us.  In Genesis we read about the life of Joseph. Joseph must’ve been confused when his brothers cruelly sold him as a slave. Yet even in slavery, the Lord was with him causing all that he did to prosper. Then he must’ve been equally confused when, after living in integrity despite his master’s wife’s advancements, he finds himself in jail unjustly. But yet again, the Lord blesses him and he is placed in charge of the prison and all the prisoner...