Present Comfort
September 6, 2019 
Psalm 6:1-10 ESV – To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD–how long? 4 Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
How grateful I am for God’s Word! Today I am languishing (Heb. umlal — a poetic word that generates the word picture of a drooping plant, without energy) and God has mercifully provided the perfect counsel and comfort for my soul.
It’s now been a month since my appointments at the Cleveland clinic, and the new treatment plan is still “in process.” New medication, cardiac rehab, has not only left me exhausted, but has also resulted in the return of difficult symptoms. Nausea and dizziness, shortness of breath, are near-constant companions, only adding to the physical weariness. There are no “end dates” to mark on a calendar. I would like to know “how long,” but my Sovereign Father, who is gracious and full of steadfast love, calls me to trust Him with today.
Even though the psalmist is “weary with [his] moaning” (v.6) this psalm is still so rich with hope. The Lord hears the sound of my weeping. He hears my prayers for strength and endurance. He hears, He acknowledges, He answers — all according to His mercy and His steadfast love.
Today I “called out” to the Lord, and He reminded me of Psalm 6. Through tears of humility and gratitude I know that God is good, and He does good (Psalm 119:68); His testimonies truly are my delight and my counselors (Psalm 119:24).
Job 23:10-14 ESV – 10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 11 My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. 13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. 14 For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.
Isn’t that amazing and wonderful comfort — that God will complete what He appoints for me, because He is unchangeable, and all powerful!! (see Psalm 57:2; Philippians 1:6). If I never get the “how long” or “how much” answers while in this life, it’s only because my Father knows that I don’t need the answers in order to obey Him. I need only trust Him.
How are you trusting God in a difficult circumstance, when there just are no clear answers? Go to His Word, dear ones. Find your answer in “I Am”
summer reading week 6 You-who by Rachel Jankovic
This is our final installment in this book, and what a joy it has been to read this book together.
For our final week, we will cover chapters 21 – 26, pages 187 – 235.
How do people see me? Who do I live for? Where do I belong? These questions require an honest answer. These questions require an answer born out of obedience to God.
“When you know your creator, and you seek to praise and reflect and honor Him in every way possible, what that looks like to the world is body confidence.” (p.193)
“Being oriented to Christ and to the glory of God is in fact the answer to almost every human trouble. The fact that it is almost always the correct answer is not the same thing as being the answer we always want to hear. . .” (p. 195)
Read Philippians 3. Notice the Apostle Paul’s goal. He could survive prison and beatings and rejection because his ultimate goal was to know Christ and to reflect the glory of God.
Is sin ever the right way to go? It’s so easy to answer quickly with a no, but how many times do we want to circumvent God’s law because it’s uncomfortable? We think that obedience will lead to obscurity, and we want so much to be known, and to know that we matter. When will it be enough that I matter to God?
Read Ephesians 2:1-10. Notice the dead and made alive illustrations. Do you see that it is God who gives me value and purpose? It is God who gave us work to do. Obedience to God and His Word is the road to real purpose.
I hope you see how important it is to know God and his word. We cannot obey someone we do not know, and we cannot obey the law we do not know. God is our father, and he wants a relationship with his children. Know Him. Follow Him. Obey Him.
That is how you know who you are. . .
