Psalm 119:143
Psalm 119:143
Psalm 119:143 “Trouble and distress have come upon me, but Your commands are my delight.”
Trouble and distress are a part of the normal Christian life. (Oh, that they weren’t.) It’s not a matter of if trouble will come, it’s more of a matter of when it will come. According to Jesus, if you have the Spirit of Christ in you, the world is going to hate you. That alone will cause trouble. The key is not that of avoiding trouble, because it cannot be avoided. The key is that of having delight in God. If we do not delight in God, those troubles will overwhelm us.
In the midst of trouble, we typically want to retaliate as best we can so as to relieve ourselves. However, that is the very thing God does not want us to do (retaliate). When we get mad at our God, we want another god, but the command of God says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” If your delight is in His commands, this one command will keep you from sin.
When a teenager gets mad at Mom and Dad, God says, “Honor your father and your mother.” If the teen’s delight is in the command of God, this one will keep him/her from sin. Right about the time troubles and pressure challenge us to not be quite as committed to the things of God, God reminds us of His command, “Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.”
Our delight in the commands of God will keep us from sin in the time of trouble. It’s during trouble that one seems most vulnerable to temptation and sin. That which pulls us through is our desire to please God. If we delight in His commands, it’s because we have a basic desire to please Him.
Now let me encourage you to take some time to meditate on this verse, as you do; meditate on His commands, You shall have no other gods before me, You shall not make for yourself an idol, You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy, Honor your father and your mother, You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, You shall not covet.
Continued
