“Lord, have you taken a good look at my troubles lately?”  Do we find ourselves crying out to God in this way when we are frustrated beyond what we think we can handle?  We still love God, still believe in God and even trust God but we, like the Psalmist, feel the need to shout, “Hey God, over here, take a good look at what is going on in MY life—a little help here…”  For me, when I come to the end of the rope I have been clinging to, come to the tail end of the last knot to hang on to with my overthinking, God says, “Hey, take a good at Me”.  “Look up at Me”.  “Follow Me”.  Jesus, His Son and our Advocate to the Father, reminds me through His Holy Spirit, “I am the Way, Truth and Life.”  The Spirit living in us bring peace in trouble and says, “take a good look in My direction, turning neither left or right.”  “Focus on my love for you.”  “Know I AM with you always, through good times and bad.”

Look for Strength in the Journey

Have you noticed that the songwriter becomes more urgent as he draws near the end of Psalm 119? We are coming to the end of the Hebrew alphabet, but his trials would continue, and he needed the help of the Lord. The last three stanzas all speak of persecution and trials, yet the writer still trusted the Lord. 

The key phrase in this stanza is “give me back my life”.  In other words, lift me up, and keep me going. He had prayed this prayer before, and the Lord had answered. The psalmist not only prayed but also gave reasons why the Lord should answer:

You are my Redeemer!  (Jesus)  In our troubles, it is comforting to know that the Son of God intercedes for us, hears our prayers, and meets our needs.

You are Merciful!  If we prayed on the basis of our own merit, God could never answer, but we come to the Father in the name of the Son and with the help of the Spirit. God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve. In His mercy He does not give us what we do deserve. The psalmist was still disgusted with the way the unbelievers lived, but their bad example did not change his own convictions.

Your Word can be Trusted! “The sum of Your word is truth”, and this means all of it can be trusted. The totality of God’s written revelation is not just true–it is Truth. To love the Word is to obey it, and to obey it is to receive life from it. 

The Bible is not a magic book that conveys divine life to anyone who picks it up and reads it. God’s living Word communicates His life and power to those who read it, meditate on it, and obey it because they love God and His Word. When Jesus raised the dead, it was through speaking the Word (Luke 7:11-17), and His Word gives us life today when we find ourselves in the dust trying to get back up. 

Take a good look at the Savior and follow Him as Lord. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Part 20 – Psalm 119, The Message

^153-160 Take a good look at my trouble, and help me—
    I haven’t forgotten your revelation.
Take my side and get me out of this;
    give me back my life, just as you promised.
“Salvation” is only gibberish to the wicked
    because they’ve never looked it up in your dictionary.
Your mercies, God, run into the billions;
    following your guidelines, revive me.
My antagonists are too many to count,
    but I don’t swerve from the directions you gave.
I took one look at the quitters and was filled with loathing;
    they walked away from your promises so casually!
Take note of how I love what you tell me;
    out of your life of love, prolong my life.
Your words all add up to the sum total: Truth.
    Your righteous decisions are eternal.

TRUTH: “Your words all add up to the sum total: Truth. Your righteous decisions are eternal.”

Proverb 3:5-6, The Message

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.

WISDOM:  Trust God.  Look and Listen for God.

Abba, Father in Heaven,

Lord, God of all and in all, I look to you for redemption with your divine mercy and grace.  Your love is amazing, relentless, unconditional and unchanging in a changing fickle world.  Thank you for loving me the way you do through good times and bad, over hills and in the valleys, on the brief journey here on earth.  Thank you for listening, healing, providing and protecting.  Thank you for saving my soul.  I will always look to You each morning.  You are my life.  You are my hope.  I trust in You alone.

In Jesus Name, Amen