He Sustains Me
He Sustains Me
“Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:16-19
I made a mistake last night. It was rainy and dark and so I sat down and watched the news. Actually was more of a news commentary show and I witnessed the great divide in our country. It was not only a clash of ideas and views but there was a huge divided with the people of the show. Then you add in the news they were talking about: rape in a High School bathroom by a boy in a skirt, the defense of the view that all white people are inherently racist, the price of gasoline and goods, the torture of dogs, and the trillions of dollars being spent by our government...and it made for one depressing hour. The only hope that they could really give was that there were elections next week and so maybe there could be change. Somehow, I doubt it.
But the consolations of the Lord cheers my soul. Our great Lord is the one who is truly in charge. He stands against the wicked and restrains their actions. He has been, and always will be our help. Don’t you love the honesty of the Psalmist? “When I thought, ‘My foot slips’, your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up’. He didn’t say, “When my foot slipped”, he said when he thought his foot slipped. When he thought he was losing it. When he thought he was giving up. When he thought that he couldn’t hold on any longer. When he thought that one more thing might send him over the edge. The steadfast love of the Lord helped him up. The promised love. The faithful love. The always present love. Of the one whom he had failed many times. The Lord simply helped him up. God took the initiative and God worked so that when the Psalmist looked back, he saw the steadfast love of his Lord.
Notice the word consolations is plural. The Lord brings comfort and support to those overwhelmed by cares. Not sure that you can truly do that from a distance. The Lord comes near. He walks with us and enters our world of suffering and pains. He brings consolations that do not call us to trust the next elected official but calls us to trust him. He brings true hope and true peace. The whole Psalm is about the truth that one day God will be our King and these issues will be no more. The failures of men only shout to us the glory of what will be when Christ reigns over us.
I find, pay attention here because I am about to spout some great wisdom (sarcasm, I am really going to point out the obvious) that I hear and experience the consolations of the Lord far more when I read his Word than when I watch the news. When I fix my eyes on Jesus rather than focusing on the chaos around me, I find help and consolations. I am not calling us to be ignorant to what is happening around us. I am calling us to realize that as the chaos grows greater, so does our need to seek the help and consolations that are given to us in His Holy Word
I must admit, I am loving that word. Consolations. Hugs from God. Truths that are so glorious that they give true hope that one day all things will be made right. Promises that allow me to loosen my grip on this world. To hear of the consistent, faithful, true love of God for me gives me strength to handle those whose love is so human. Consolations. Today is truly a good day because my Lord is my Lord.
“Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:16-19
I made a mistake last night. It was rainy and dark and so I sat down and watched the news. Actually was more of a news commentary show and I witnessed the great divide in our country. It was not only a clash of ideas and views but there was a huge divided with the people of the show. Then you add in the news they were talking about: rape in a High School bathroom by a boy in a skirt, the defense of the view that all white people are inherently racist, the price of gasoline and goods, the torture of dogs, and the trillions of dollars being spent by our government...and it made for one depressing hour. The only hope that they could really give was that there were elections next week and so maybe there could be change. Somehow, I doubt it.
But the consolations of the Lord cheers my soul. Our great Lord is the one who is truly in charge. He stands against the wicked and restrains their actions. He has been, and always will be our help. Don’t you love the honesty of the Psalmist? “When I thought, ‘My foot slips’, your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up’. He didn’t say, “When my foot slipped”, he said when he thought his foot slipped. When he thought he was losing it. When he thought he was giving up. When he thought that he couldn’t hold on any longer. When he thought that one more thing might send him over the edge. The steadfast love of the Lord helped him up. The promised love. The faithful love. The always present love. Of the one whom he had failed many times. The Lord simply helped him up. God took the initiative and God worked so that when the Psalmist looked back, he saw the steadfast love of his Lord.
Notice the word consolations is plural. The Lord brings comfort and support to those overwhelmed by cares. Not sure that you can truly do that from a distance. The Lord comes near. He walks with us and enters our world of suffering and pains. He brings consolations that do not call us to trust the next elected official but calls us to trust him. He brings true hope and true peace. The whole Psalm is about the truth that one day God will be our King and these issues will be no more. The failures of men only shout to us the glory of what will be when Christ reigns over us.
I find, pay attention here because I am about to spout some great wisdom (sarcasm, I am really going to point out the obvious) that I hear and experience the consolations of the Lord far more when I read his Word than when I watch the news. When I fix my eyes on Jesus rather than focusing on the chaos around me, I find help and consolations. I am not calling us to be ignorant to what is happening around us. I am calling us to realize that as the chaos grows greater, so does our need to seek the help and consolations that are given to us in His Holy Word
I must admit, I am loving that word. Consolations. Hugs from God. Truths that are so glorious that they give true hope that one day all things will be made right. Promises that allow me to loosen my grip on this world. To hear of the consistent, faithful, true love of God for me gives me strength to handle those whose love is so human. Consolations. Today is truly a good day because my Lord is my Lord.
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