Pilgrim Worship: Thursday Psalms: God's Comfort

Blessed Thursday to each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Savior!

Today's Psalm is a short section from Psalm 119, the longest of all the psalms. The psalmist is praying for help and strength as he struggles to lead a God-fearing and God-pleasing life in the face of persecution. His faith is clear [v81] and remains steadfast throughout this prayer, but his pain and suffering are so vividly described. In his prayer "When will You comfort me?", he is praying for peace and relief from feeling dried and shriveled up like a wineskin over the heat and smoke of a fire. Yet, he has not turned away from God and knows God has neither rejected him nor abandoned him.

Throughout the holy Scriptures, God promises to judge the wicked and punish those who reject Him; "When will You judge those who persecute me?" the psalmist asks. In verses 84-87 we see clearly that the psalmist is persecuted for his beliefs in God and for following God's commands in his life. In the end, the psalmist prays not for the death of his enemies, but that God would give him life, that God would sustain, nourish and strengthen him so that he may remain steadfast in Godly living.

PSALM 119:81–88
⁸¹My soul longs for Your salvation;
I hope in Your word.
⁸²My eyes long for Your promise;
I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
⁸³For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten Your statutes.
⁸⁴How long must Your servant endure?
When will You judge those who persecute me?
⁸⁵The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
they do not live according to Your law.
⁸⁶All Your commandments are sure;
they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
⁸⁷They have almost made an end of me on earth,
but I have not forsaken Your precepts.
⁸⁸In Your steadfast love give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of Your mouth.

Even if you and I do not face direct persecution for our Christian beliefs and lifestyles, we do live in a culture which rejects us and the one, true God in whom we believe. We all most certainly face direct and constant persecution from the temptations to sin. The devil, the world and our sinful nature deceive us, bombard us with falsehoods, and constantly dig pitfalls into which we often fall.

In the face of Satan's constant persecution, we are blessed to join with the psalmist in this prayer!