By Steve Sering

“Walk by Faith” by Jeremy Camp is a song written out of great suffering. Christian singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp wrote the song during the grieving process of losing his first wife to cancer in the early 2000s. Wrestling with the pain, he questioned God and wondered why her life was taken so soon. The chorus declares, “I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see. Well, because this broken road, prepares your will for me.” It was the broken road of suffering that prepared Jeremy for God’s will to be done in his young life. Losing Melissa was one of the hardest moments of his life. Lying there in the hospital room after she died, left him completely wrecked and devastated. But as he lifted himself up and prayed for strength, God gave him a song to endure. 

The author of Psalm 119 had a song to sing too. It was the Word of God. As was custom during the Old Testament era, the people of God sang Scripture with one another. The book of Psalms is essentially that-the songbook of God’s people. Our passage under consideration is Psalm 119:49-56. Likely King David, he wrote from a perspective of suffering. No stranger to it, the king found refuge in the Word of God. Starting from verse 49, the author knew where his hope came from, the Lord: “Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.” The source of hope in the Christian life is two-fold. First, our hope is rooted in our relationship with Christ. Without that we would be completely overwhelmed and destroyed by the wiles of Satan and the weight of suffering. Second, our hope is rooted in the Word of God and in the promises of God. During the writing of this passage, the complete canon of Scripture was not yet completed, however, he had enough to garner hope for his heart. Furthermore, in verse 50 the psalmist continues to look upward and onward. The comfort for his affliction came directly from the promises of God. Abundant life flows from a personal relationship with Christ. The ultimate fulfillment of that life is eternal life in heaven. Our redemptive hope is rooted deeply in the promises of God. One such promise is the fact that God will never leave us or forsake us. In the Old Testament, Moses told his protégé Joshua this before taking over as the leader of Israel: “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut. 31:8). 

Brothers and sisters, it is the presence of God in our suffering that enables us to endure. Verse 51 is a declaration of faith amidst persecution and verse 52 is a personal reminder of the purpose of the Word of God. Just as Charles Spurgeon said, “The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.” Proximity to God’s presence fosters God’s comfort. Verse 53 posits an emotion of anger towards the wicked that forsake God’s law. Verses 54-55 are a reminder that God’s promises are a song to get us through the dark nights. David was a sojourner before he was a king, constantly on the run from King Saul. During these experiences, he turned to song to give hope to his heart. Finally, verse 56 reveals the effect of leaning on God’s sovereignty and trusting in his law. When we keep the word of God, we receive God’s blessing. Who wouldn’t want that!? The child of God positions himself for God’s blessing when he obeys the Word. Plain and simple. The fast track to blessing is obedience and the hope to endure is found in a song. To sing God’s Word is an anchor for the soul.

Application Questions:

1. How can you encourage your fellow believers with the Word of God in their suffering?
2. How has God come through in your suffering with your obedience? What song can you sing to get through the dark nights of the soul?

This past December, I lost my job. It was a challenging time, but over these past five months, I have seen the Lord provide. It has helped me meditate on the reality of the gospel. Because of our sin, we have all strayed and are lost. Yet, the story of Scripture is the story of a God who provides. In His steadfast love, God sent Jesus Christ to live a life we did not and die on a death we could not so that when He rose from the grave, we could be reconciled to God and saved from our sins. In a way, Psalm 119:41 sums this beautiful truth up because, “Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise” is what happened in the incarnation of Christ. Salvation was promised by God, and this God is trustworthy in His character. The enemies of sin, death, and Satan are defeated by Christ, so that no matter what we may face, we can trust His Word. In our sinfulness and brokenness, we may struggle to remember God’s promises. That is why we must cry out to God for us continually have His Word before us. We cannot stop there, though. As His Word is before us, we need to be putting His word before others. This includes being a witness both in word and action. As Jesus has come to us and called us to come to Him, may we pray and share with others of the steadfast love of the Lord so that they may receive the salvation that comes from God through the promise of the gospel.

Reflection Questions:

How do the promises of God bring encouragement during challenging times in life?

Who can you share the steadfast love of the Lord with this week?

One of the questions my wife and I tend to ask each other often is, “What is the Lord teaching you?” We do this for accountability but also because we know the most important relationship in our lives is not first with each other, but with our God. Our relationship with God is not receiving disconnected information but hearing and heeding teaching from our relational God. Psalm 119:33-40 shows us this. It shows us that one of the reasons the Lord teaches us His Word is so we may keep it (verses 33-34). The Bible is not man’s revelation of God, but God’s revelation of Himself to man. Therefore, He is the one leading us and we are following (verse 35). Learning from the Lord begins by understanding Him and what He says in His Word. Yet, this is not merely information for the intellect. Learning from the Lord goes deeper and transforms the heart. It is not checking off a list but checking our hearts to see where our delights are. Where do we look for rest? Where do we look for relief? Where do we look for peace? Our eyes will be indicators of our hearts of what we are hoping in. What God’s Word gives to us, though, is the answer that He is the teacher for life and He is the Lord of life. He confirms His promise most clearly in Jesus Christ, His life, death, and resurrection for our salvation. Our response of repentance of sin and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord is evidence we fear Him, which shows we have listened to Him as teacher. As our hearts are transformed, we continually grow into the image of Christ, fighting the battle where we turn away from sin and long for God. Longing for God is proof we are learning from Him.

Reflection Questions

Where have you looked to something other than Christ for hope recently? 

How would you answer the question, “What is the Lord teaching you?”