Psalm 119 - Ayin

No one likes to wait. The more important the answer and the more challenging the situation, the harder it is to wait. In this stanza the psalmist describes a time of waiting.

Although he has done what is right, he is still at the hands of his oppressors, and he asks God not to leave him there (v. 121). He longs for God's salvation; as he waits to see it, he feels the strain (v. 123). When he looks around at the enemy and the circumstances they have created, he declares that it is time for the Lord to act (v. 126).

There are times like this in life. A Christian can find himself in difficult situations that seem like they will never end. He can face trials that seem to have no possible answer. He waits on God until he runs out of patience; he continues waiting still, but no answer appears on the horizon. If he only knew there were an end, he could manage to endure, but he sees nothing to give him hope.

In such a situation, the believer needs to respond as this man did. His first response is prayer. It is quite clear in these times of waiting that man does not have the answer. Even if man knew what to do, he would be powerless to bring it about. It is God, then, to whom the believer must appeal.

The stanza is filled with prayers for God's help. "Do not leave me to my oppressors" (v. 121). "Be surety for Your servant for good" (v. 122). "Do not let the arrogant oppress me" (v. 122). "Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness" (v. 124). "Teach me Your statutes" (v. 124). "Give me understanding" (v. 125). The psalmists asks for deliverance, for expressions of God's goodness, and for understanding. Each of these is a great request, and each expresses dependence on God.

The second response is one of unwavering trust. Trust in God is the foundation that keeps a believer secure when everything is falling apart. Faith assures him that there is an answer and that there is someone in control whether man can see it or not. Without this trust, hopelessness and despair would prevail.

The psalmist expresses his trust in God. His very prayers convey a sense of expectation for God to act. He expects God to do good for him (v. 122) and to show His lovingkindness (v. 124). He places himself humbly before God as a servant, dependent on the master (v. 125). He declares God's Word to be righteous (v. 123).

In fact, it is this man's estimation of the Word that most poignantly illustrates his trust. In spite of all that is happening in his life, and in spite of the lack of answers, the psalmist stands resolutely on the Word. He declares his love for the Word, declaring its value to be above the finest gold (v. 127).

The psalmist sees God's words and ways expressed through his circumstances and through God's seeming delay in answering. Everything he sees seems to cry out that God is wrong, yet the psalmist still declares Him to be right (v. 128). That is the essence of trust - believing God and hoping in God with no evidence (or even in spite of apparent evidence to the contrary). This man knows that his life is not currently a bed of roses, but he is controlled by a stronger belief that God is always right, no matter what.

"Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything, I hate every false way." Psalm 119:128 (NASB)