Psalm 119:154

Psalm 119:154 “Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to Your promise.”

David is saying, in essence, “Defend my cause by redeeming me, which will life me!” If you are a Christian, you have a cause. And that cause is Jesus! There is no other cause we are to give ourselves to, other than this one. The whole essence of the work of God is that we are to reveal Christ to others.

For David to pray, “Defend me,” indicates that he has been either imprisoned because of his cause, or that he has charges against him. Jesus paid a price for just one cause; that of revealing Himself to the lost. This one cause will bring our nation back to being everything we want it to be. Christ’s feelings are so strong about this cause that He was willing to pay any price to redeem us. 

The word “freedom” means to liberate by means of payment. Jesus liberated us by means of paying with His own life. He gave His own life to set us free so we could have the liberty to show others the way to freedom. Our redemption is the justification of our cause. Through our redemption, our cause is enhanced. Our redemption lifes us. It brings the very life of Jesus into us.

David prayed, “Redeem me; preserve my life [life me].” We reveal Christ to others through reflecting His likeness. This is the defense of our cause. When we reveal Jesus to others, our cause is justified. The revelation of Christ to a lost world is viewed by the Father as most significant. Any cause that fails to reveal the character and nature of Jesus is pointless. 

I have witnessed many people standing up for many causes. However, in the midst of promoting their cause they failed to reveal anything about the nature of who Jesus really is. The revealing of Christ should be the thing that compels us beyond anything else. 

Let me encourage you to take some time to meditate on this verse, as you do; consider whether or not others see Jesus when they see you.