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"Hope"
Thy faithfulness is unto all generations:
Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth (Psa 119.90).
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) announced that “God is dead,” by which he expressed his belief that the idea of God had been so generally rejected that it no longer remained relevant as the basis for morality [...]
For ever, O LORD,
Thy word is settled in heaven (Psa 119.89).
Foundational to living as Christian believers is a true knowledge of God and his Word. In this verse the psalmist tersely lays that foundation, the unshakeable basis for everything else. Whatever we think, feel, and choose ought to build upon this. If [...]
Quicken me after thy lovingkindness;
So shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth (Psalm 119:88).
The assurance of salvation that God’s people enjoy amidst the persecutions we suffer is not founded upon our love and commitment to God, but rather upon his to us. The only true and living God, the God of [...]
Mine eyes fail for thy word,
Saying, When wilt thou comfort me? (Psa 119.82)
Triumphalism, that unrealistic expectation of enjoying in this life nearly all of the blessings, whether physical or spiritual, of the age to come, threatens the well-being of sensitive Christians because it only deepens their dejection. That crucible of unfulfilled desires, [...]
Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to thy word unto thy servant (Psa 119.76).
Moved by the Holy Spirit, the psalmist here prays earnestly for comfort. “I pray thee” is emphatic expression, like, “Please! I beg you!” with a focus on the desire of the speaker, used to [...]
I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right,
And that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me (Psa 119.75).
Many unbelievers implicitly acknowledge God’s control over all things, including their personal catastrophes, and then hold a grudge against him. Perhaps when a loved one was dying of cancer, the person now spiritually-disgruntled had prayed [...]
The law of thy mouth is better unto me
Than thousands of gold and silver (Psa 119.72).
If we really believed them, the letters we receive announcing that we have won a fortune would get our attention, but we have learned from experience about the fine print. You’ve seen it before, haven’t you?
CONGRATULATIONS!
It is good for me that I have been afflicted;
That I might learn thy statutes (Psa 119.71).
“All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” is the attention-grabbing title of a book by Robert Fulghum from the eighties. What did he have in mind? Simple duties like this: share everything, play [...]
I thought on my ways,
And turned my feet unto thy testimonies (Psa 119.59).
Two great traps keep multitudes from heaven: arrogantly thinking they are good people living a good life, and admitting they are sinners while they continue to do nothing about it. The self-righteous will be shocked to hear their doom on [...]
This is my comfort in my affliction:
For thy word hath quickened me (Psa 119.50).
Everyone suffers, including, and we might say, especially Christians. The reason is that Christians must suffer all the common and ordinary trials which are our lot simply because we are human beings in a fallen world. Conversion does not [...]
