”My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
Psalm 119:50New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 119:50 Devotional
God’s Promise is Life-Giving
God’s promise is life-giving (Psalm 119:50) because it keeps your and my hope up during the times/seasons of suffering. Because the writer of Hebrews 10:23 encourages us to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful”. And in so doing, we are greatly comforted because God’s promises provide hope in our brokenness.
Therefore, Christians should know how to trust God in difficult times. He is really our only hope in those times. And He loves us very much.
Remember, as Christians, we are no strangers to troubles. They come in all sizes, shapes, and levels of intensity. This is a fact of life, and Christians are not exempted from difficulty.
Additionally, remember, He offered up Jesus as a sacrifice for all our sins (John 3:16). Therefore, we can put our trust in Him during our times of suffering. He is always willing and ready to help us when we need Him. And the best way to do this is to go to His promises.
God’s Word is loaded with promises
God’s Word is loaded with promises that teach us about having faith in God during difficult/hard times. God tells us to not worry and to pray, and He will give us peace like you can’t imagine (Philippians 4:6-7). He also tells us that He is there with us, in the suffering. And even after the season of difficulty, He promises to strengthen and calm us.
In addition, God’s character bolsters this hope, especially when coupled with His disposition towards the broken. We, therefore, trust that God will be faithful to His word and act on the same in His time (2 Peter 1:4). And this is true.
How to have hope in God during your suffering
Consequently, during your time of suffering, prayer should be the first thing you resort to. Because prayer will get you through the toughest times. And you can pray something like, “Lord, I don’t know what my future is going to look like, but I trust You have me covered. I’m so worried right now, but I know that You will see my family and me through it all.”
Upon praying, the second thing you need to do is to identify and connect with God’s promises, especially those that are relevant to your situation. And the beauty is that God’s promises are contained in His Word. They’re actually sprinkled all throughout Scripture.
Finally, you need to claim God’s promises by faith. They hold the key to overcoming hard times.
Times for learning and growing
Additionally, God uses our struggles to teach us and grow our faith. God’s aim is to teach us lessons that we need to learn, to make our confidence in Him and His promises strong, and to build the character of Christ in us. Though this is not easy, it is definitely good for us and part of God’s promise to do good for us.
On the contrary, the Bible says that many are the afflictions of the righteous (Psalm 34:19a). Therefore, we will pass through waters – many waters of hardship and suffering.
But along with the waters of hardship and the many afflictions, God makes a wonderful, comforting promise: “He will be with us.” And this is the reality of Psalm 119:50.
Prayer/Blessing
May you anchor to His promise during your season of suffering. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Isaiah 22-26 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
