God's Word Sustains Us

113 I hate those with divided loyalties,
but I love your instructions.
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
your word is my source of hope.
115 Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
116 Lord, sustain me as you promised, that I may live!
Do not let my hope be crushed.
117 Sustain me, and I will be rescued;
then I will meditate continually on your decrees.
118 But you have rejected all who stray from your decrees.
They are only fooling themselves.
119 You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum;
no wonder I love to obey your laws!
120 I tremble in fear of you;
I stand in awe of your regulations.

In these verses the psalmist combines two literary forms: lament and wisdom. He does this to highlight his sure confidence that God answers prayers and sustains his people.

The psalmist has cried out in lament many times already in Psalm 119. Like other lamenters in the Bible, the writer groans under the weight of distress in facing enemies and opposition. Here the psalmist reveals that he is under extreme duress from his enemies, who are also God’s enemies.

In addition, the psalmist contrasts the wicked and the righ­teous. As biblical wisdom ­often points out, the unfaithful waver and stray from God’s commands, and their delusions come to nothing. Because of their folly, God lets them go. The faithful, on the other hand, take refuge in God and in his Word, treating God’s Word as their shield and sword. They bow before God and put their hope in God’s instruction, holding it in the highest esteem.

And in the midst of this discussion we hear the psalmist making a bold and wonderful request, in faith: “Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live.”

Do you cry out to God for all your needs as they arise? Trust in God completely and live confidently in his promise to deliver you.

Lord, help us to live according to your Word, and sustain us according to your promise, we pray. Amen.