I am Yours; Save Me

Psalms 119:92-95 ESV

 

“If your law had not been my delight,

    I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts,

    for by them you have given me life.

I am yours; save me,

    for I have sought your precepts.

The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,

    but I consider your testimonies.”

 

In this life we will have troubles and heartaches, as well as joys and laughter. We will have good days and bad days, and good experiences and bad ones. Some days will go well for us while other days may seem as though it is one disaster after another after another. And I am in my 70s, so one day I may have much energy, and then another day not so much at all. And some days I will be mentally sharp and other days not so much.

 

And, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I will have times when I will be encouraged by others, and other times when others may fight against me and oppose me strongly. And I will have some people who will hate and reject me while I have other people who love and accept me, or at least they accept me to a point, but perhaps not all the way, for what I do each day does not gain me many friends who want to spend time with me.

 

Since we live in a time when so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ have adopted the “cheap grace gospel” as their gospel message, and so they believe their eternity in heaven is secured for them, regardless of how they live or how much they sin, there are few people who want to hear the truth of the gospel, for they find it negative and depressing. And they want everything to be upbeat and positive and what they call encouraging.

 

So, if you are following Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), and if you are walking in his ways, in righteousness and in holiness, and not in sin, and if you are also sharing the truth of the gospel of our salvation, and if you are refuting the lies of Satan, then in America, at least, you are probably not going to gain many friends. Even if they friend you on social media they may want nothing to do with you alive and in person.

 

So if our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ, to do his will, and so we are following him wherever he leads us, in doing whatever assignment he gives to us to do, we will face much of the same types of persecution which Jesus faced prior to his arrest and death, although some of us may be faced with that reality, too, although not so much yet in America. And since we are flesh and blood human beings with feelings and in need of love and companionship, if we are largely rejected, it can be a very lonely life.

 

And loneliness and lack of much companionship and friendship added on to much rejection and persecution, combined together, they definitely fit the description of “affliction.” And no matter how strong our faith is or how dedicated we are to following the Lord in obedience regardless of how others treat us, if we are at all loving and caring people with hearts of compassion, we are going to feel that affliction. And it will hurt.

 

And if our Lord and his word were not our delight and what we long for and our purpose for why we exist, we would perish in our affliction who are hit hard with the things described above and much more than that. For it can be really hard at times to keep going, but by the grace of God and in his strength and purpose. And having purpose is so essential, knowing that we are making a difference in this world, even if we can’t always see it.

 

But you know what? Knowing all that, and experiencing all that I have, I will still choose my Lord and his will for my life ahead of the acceptance and friendship of other humans, if that is what it comes down to, which it has in many cases. So I choose to obey my Lord and to be his servant and to share his word and his gospel, as led by the Spirit, even if it costs me all friendships, and even if it costs me my life, for to me to live is Christ.

 

Yet it is true that the wicked do lie in wait to destroy those whose lives are dedicated to following Jesus Christ as Lord. And that is a very present reality. But there we must trust in God’s sovereignty over our lives, and we must bow to him and to his will, in submission to him. For he is still in control over all that he has created, and he will work all things according to his plan and purpose, so ultimately it will all turn out for good.

 

Hated and Persecuted: [Matt 5:10-16; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Matt 28:18-20; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Acts 1:8; Acts 14:22; Acts 26:18; Rom 5:3-5; Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; 2 Co 1:3-11; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Phil 3:7-11; Col 3:16; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; Heb 3:13; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 2:9; 1 Pet 4:12-17]

 

The Prayer

 

Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager,

Alberto Testa and Tony Renis

 

I pray you'll be our eyes

And watch us where we go

And help us to be wise

In times when we don't know

 

I pray we'll find your light

And hold it in our hearts

When the stars go out each night

Remind us where you are.

 

Let this be our prayer

When shadows fill our day

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqFCbtRz1Z0

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