By Justin Randolph
Pastor, Zion Hill Baptist Church, Sevierville
Focal Passage: Psalm 119:89-96
It’s a new year! Time to make commitments we intend to keep. For example — commitments to lose weight, exercise more, read the Bible in its entirety, go on a missions trip, and be more faithful in our giving. Unfortunately, these commitments are usually easy to make, but harder to keep. Thankfully, God’s Word is absolutely permanent.
While trends come and go, God’s Word is established in heaven. The psalmist thanked God for His unchanging nature. To say of God that His Word is settled in the heavens reassures the psalmist that no matter what adversary or opposition may come, God’s established order cannot be shaken. With the uncertainties of this world, it is good to know that our God remains certain. He can be counted upon as faithful both today and tomorrow.
In the midst of our ever changing world, God’s Word sustains us through every challenge. Our spirit is truly willing, but our flesh is weak. The psalmist had experienced the life giving power of God’s Word and it had sustained him in the depths of his affliction. Therefore, he boasted in God’s Word and pledged to persevere in remembering and obeying it. Paul wrote that we should actually boast in our weaknesses in order that God’s power may rest upon us. God’s Word is sufficient for whatever we face. It does not keep us from affliction, but it allows us to overcome it. With it, we might find joy and fulfillment in this life, but without it, we face nothing but despair and bitter disappointment.
In closing, the psalmist writes of seeing the end of all things and finding no perfection. Even the best of human desires, designs, and dreams fall short of finding complete fulfillment. Our world is limited, tainted, and finite. Therefore, nothing can be perfect. As we grow older, we tend to accept this as a fact. Some use it to excuse their lack of desire or motivation to change. However, God’s commands are limitless, pure, and eternal.
The word “broad” in verse 96 is a play on words the psalmist utilizes to contrast the previous statement on perfection. In other words, man’s ways are bound, but God’s precepts are boundless. Man’s ways are finite and limited, but God’s testimonies are eternal and unlimited. Therefore, wherever God guides, His Word provides. Whatever the need, God’s Word is sufficient. Whatever the question, God’s Word provides the answer. Whatever the struggle, God’s Word brings peace.
God’s Word can be trusted. No matter the culture, the time period, or the circumstance, God’s Word can deliver because it’s power is derived from the source and the source is God Himself. Therefore, we should look to it for any and every decision we face and then abide by its every principle.
