Kaph
81 I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word.
82 My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.
When will you comfort me?
83 I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke,
but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.
84 How long must I wait?
When will you punish those who persecute me?
85 These arrogant people who hate your instructions
have dug deep pits to trap me.
86 All your commands are trustworthy.
Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.
87 They almost finished me off,
but I refused to abandon your commandments.
88 In your unfailing love, spare my life;
then I can continue to obey your laws.
Here’s what I like about this portion of Psalm 119 (and many of the psalms, for that matter)…the honesty and the differentiation of the author.
First the honesty. The pain, exhaustion, and disappointment of the author clear. It’s acknowledged and stated. It’s not hidden or covered up with super-spiritual fairy dust.
“I am worn out waiting for your rescue…My eyes are straining to see your promises comes true. When will you comfort me? I’m shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke…How long must I wait?”
For some Christians, this revelation of reality is a sign of weakness, or faithlessness. It sounds hopeless and something a “good Christian” wouldn’t say. Which is really weird because…it is written by a faithful person. Texts like this are encouragements to us to go to God and be bold, be honest…express reality. God’s not bothered by it. If Jesus in the garden, then on on the cross, can cry out to God in anguish, well…we can, too,
And second…the differentiation. In the midst of these expressions of reality, the author writes:
…but I have my hope in your word…When will you comfort me? (the implication is that comfort is coming)…but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees…When will you punish those who persecute me?…All your commands are trustworthy, protect me…They almost finished me off, but I refused to abandon your commandments. In your unfailing love, spare my life; then I can continue to obey your laws.
Something amazing is happening here…life is really really sucky. And…the author of this psalm trusts and rests and hopes in the reality of God, in his goodness. The author never loses sight of God. While many Christians deny the realities of their pain because of their fears of being seen as unfaithful, there are many Christians who only live in their realities and hardships, their situations and circumstances. The have the first parts of these verse down pat, on repeat, telling anyone and everyone about how hard and difficult their lives are…and the never make the transition to remembering the hope they have in God. It’s not because this hope isn’t real, it’s because we live in an age of perpetual victimhood, pity, and navel-gazing that attracts attention.
While it may be true that life is really, really hard, it is equally true, if not MORE true, that God is good. In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul writes…
Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Do you see how this text from Paul plays itself out in Psalm 119:81-88? Acknowledge reality, talk to God (praying and thanking), then you’ll experience peace. Merely acknowledging reality does not lead to peace. And, denying reality while talking to God will also NOT lead to the peace of God.
My hope and my prayer for you today, is that you would live in the tension of life- acknowledging its realities while trusting in the hope and goodness of God.