Psalm 119:145–152 (ESV):
Qoph
145 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord!
I will keep your statutes.
146 I call to you; save me,
that I may observe your testimonies.
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I hope in your words.
148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promise.
149 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love;
O Lord, according to your justice give me life.
150 They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose;
they are far from your law.
151 But you are near, O Lord,
and all your commandments are true.
152 Long have I known from your testimonies
that you have founded them forever.
When you have sleepless nights because you are enduring a time of distress, what do you do? Do you spend the time as this psalmist does and meditate on God’s Word?! Or do you allow the worries and stress to overcome your mind, filling it with more stress and worry?
The inclination to worry has not changed throughout the World’s history, from ancient times to current days people get sick due to stress and worry. Therefore you need to know how to handle it. This author had figured out a God-honouring way to deal with it, and in the New Testament, Paul gives us a practical way to handle any concerns. For he instructs us to ‘take every thought captive to obey Christ’! (2 Corinthians 10:5). This is how you effectively handle distress and concerns.
When you are experiencing stress, what do you focus on? Is it worse case scenario, with fears deepening, or are your thoughts obedient to Jesus? Both the writer of this psalm and Paul show that thinking about God and reading His Word are solutions to times of concern. Reading Scripture, and pondering on the nature of God and all that Jesus has done whilst ensuring that you remain obedient will help you. Meditate on God’s promises (v148), keep reminding yourself of the truth so that whenever the worries and fears attempt to sneak back in you can fight back. Retrain your brain to think of God first not fear first - take every thought captive. Taking something captive is forceful and intentional. It does not happen by chance, and you need to keep working at it.
In the book of Corinthians, Paul goes onto say that by taking your thoughts captive, ‘we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God’. Do you want to destroy what the enemy is trying to build? You have the power to do that by adjusting your mindset. Take charge of what you think about, you can help what your mind focuses on. You can take your thoughts captive to obey Christ. Instead of spending time pacing around or allowing your mind to whirl during sleepless hours, read God’s Word, listen to Scripture, recall His promises, meditate on His promises, and consider Christ. Do the hard work of retraining your brain, to transform your thoughts from those of worry to those of God-honouring confidence and peace.
Psalm 119:153–160 (ESV):
Resh
153 Look on my affliction and deliver me,
for I do not forget your law.
154 Plead my cause and redeem me;
give me life according to your promise!
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek your statutes.
156 Great is your mercy, O Lord;
give me life according to your rules.
157 Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
but I do not swerve from your testimonies.
158 I look at the faithless with disgust,
because they do not keep your commands.
159 Consider how I love your precepts!
Give me life according to your steadfast love.
160 The sum of your word is truth,
and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.
Do you know that you have one who pleads your cause and redeems you? The same One also gives you life! in 1 John 2:1, John confirms this, ‘My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.’ So, no matter what the situation, whether it is a matter of oppression, persecution, the wrongdoing of others, or even your own sinful behaviour, you have every right to plead your cause for redemption!
Jesus is your advocate, and he will always advocate for you no matter if the situation or pain you are in is your own fault or not. You have the right and permission to ask for forgiveness and freedom. For Jesus Christ the righteous died for every sin, so that he could show you how great the mercy of God is! Therefore never be afraid to approach your Father in heaven to plead your cause and redeem you (v154).
Your persecutors and adversaries may be many, but think about how big God is, how many are His heavenly hosts and how He has delivered and redeemed His people before. Find out the stories in the Bible that can strengthen you, and trust that God is the same now as He was then. God can turn your life around - are you trusting that He will? Approach God today and plead your cause, even if you feel like you are the one who has messed up, or even if you have asked hundreds of times before. God is listening, God is forgiving, and God is redeeming.
You don’t need to be afraid, you don’t need to live disgusted or disappointed with yourself for Jesus, your advocate, has stepped in for you. He has put to death all that separates you from God. Therefore you can ask God to, ‘Give me life according to your steadfast love’. You can know forgiveness and appreciate a relationship with God, for great is His mercy (v156). This is only possible because you have an advocate through Jesus Christ the righteous - don’t forget it!
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