Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Stuck to the Dust
Today's Verse:
My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. ~Psalm 119:25
Have you ever felt like you’ve been covered in dust? Have you ever felt like things are so bad that you are covered in problems and left to languish? The psalmist felt this way in his spiritual life. The tone of Psalm 119:25-32 is of a man who is desperate and despondent. He is at the point spiritually where he needs help from God. This morning, let us see how the psalmist teaches us how to get out of the dust. This morning, let us see the steps to take when we are afflicted.
We see the purpose in affliction.
Affliction is God’s means to help us grow spiritually. The furnace of affliction is God’s tool for removing the dross of sin that has accumulated in our lives. Through affliction, we learn to turn to God’s Word for our help in time of need. Through affliction, we experience God’s grace as His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Affliction is God’s gift for our soul’s need.
We see the posture in affliction.
We see a humble and teachable spirit in the psalmist. He cried out, “Teach me thy statutes... Make me to understand the way of thy precepts.” We have too much pride and conceitedness in all of us. We are boastful about who we are, what we have done, where we have been, and who we know. None of this matters to God. What matters to God is that we humble ourselves and know Him. Affliction is God’s means to make us teachable and humble. It is God’s tool to remind us that a man can receive nothing except it be given him from God. The psalmist felt like he was buried in dust and that his soul was melting because of the heaviness of his burden. He recognized that God wanted his complete dependence upon Him through his excruciating pain.
We see the prayer in affliction.
One of the great things that afflictions do for us is that they move us to pray. He prayed for reviving, a teachable spirit, strength for his soul, and removal from the sins that he was susceptible to. When he prayed, “Remove from me the way of lying,” I think he was referring to being untruthful about his situation. Sometimes we can make our situation sound so bad to others, we make it sound like we are invoking their pity. Other times we down play our situation as if it is not so bad, but we wind up cursing God under our breath for letting us suffer. Be honest about your affliction. Be honest with God, your family, and those who are watching you from a distance. Make it known that you are weak and trusting God to help you.
We see our participation in affliction.
There is one more thing the psalmist teaches us. There is a level of participation on our part that is needed in order to make it through our affliction. In vv. 30-32 he said, “I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me. I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.” In our afflictions, we must give preeminence to the Word of God in our lives. The psalmist was acknowledging to God that he will follow and obey God’s Word without any deviation. The goal in affliction is to get us to be obedient and in love with God’s Word. It is God’s means of drawing us closer to Him.
Are you stuck to the dust? Humble yourself, and have a teachable spirit.
Have a revived God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Psalm 119
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