No Matter What



Psalm 119:161-168 – Sin/Shin
161Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.
162I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.
163I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.
164Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules.
165Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.
166I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I do your commandments.
167My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly.
168I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you.

The words of this stanza of Psalm 119 make me ponder our often conditional love for God and adherence to His Word. We’re generally willing to love God when times are good. But if life become difficult, we might look at Him and question His love and faithfulness to us.

I’m reading a book by Anthony Ray Hinton called The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row about his time on death row for a crime he did not commit. He spent 30 years waiting to be executed only to be finally released when the court system (and a wildly prejudice system of justice) realized they had condemned an innocent man. Hinton went into prison a believer in Christ, but the circumstances in prison were so dark that he quickly determined that God did not exist and threw his Bible under his pitiful excuse for a bed. Three years later, he experienced a renewal of his faith when he realized that man’s attempts to destroy him did not determine his ability to still be a descent human being and express love to his fellow inmates. He still had the power to reach out to others and impact the world with hope.

As I read Anthony’s story and then read these words from the psalmist, I am struck by the fact that we can be a fickle people. But the psalmist reminds us that this is not the way of the believer. Even when “princes persecute me” I can still stand in awe of God and His Word. I can still find reason to rejoice. As Hinton’s story progresses, we learn that people on the outside of the prison are moving in his behalf even though he had absolutely no knowledge of their actions or the money with which to pay them. God was moving even when he believed that hope was lost.

This psalmist expresses certain confidence that nothing can make him stumble despite what is happening around him. He will carry on with his faith no matter what. My life has never been the dark place that Anthony found his – through no fault of his own. But that doesn’t mean I am immune to difficult times or struggles. The temptation to give up on God stands in the corner of every heart. In those moments, may we all be prepared to state these words:


  • my heart stands in awe of your words
  • I rejoice at your word
  • I love your law
  • I praise you for your righteous rules.
  • Great peace have those who love your law
  • nothing can make them stumble.
  • I hope for your salvation
  • all my ways are before you

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The...
Read more

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv...
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl...
Read more