God Who Strengthens Me
[Psalm 89:19-52]
I believe many of you have heard this news. It is the story of a former baseball player in Korea who murdered four women (his wife and three daughters) before taking his own life. When I heard this news, I wondered how someone could be so cruel. I also thought, is this the extent of human cruelty and sinful nature? According to the news, this former baseball player, before committing suicide, apparently took money from the mother of the three daughters he killed and used that money to pay off debts to people he owed. I wonder if this murder was the result of financial pressure. These days, not only in the United States but also throughout Europe and Asia, the economy is in very bad shape, as we hear from the news and from people around us. As a result, I wonder if the evil acts resulting from financial pressure are manifesting more than ever. It seems many people are feeling disheartened, frustrated, and full of despair. There are also many who are overwhelmed by helplessness, giving up on themselves.
Indeed, this world is full of worries and hardships. It is a world filled with sin and the accumulation of death (Hymn 474). While living in this world, we often experience frustration, disappointment, and even despair. What should we do in those moments? I think of a Bible verse that Pastor Jung Sangwoo (emeritus pastor of Chung Hyun Mission Church) and his wife appreciated very much, Psalm 18:1: "I will love You, O Lord, my strength." While this is how it is written in the Korean Bible, in the original Hebrew or English translation, it could be translated as "I love You, Lord, my strength." When I reflect on this verse, it seems that one reason we love the Lord is because God is our strength.
Today, in Psalm 80:21, the Bible tells us that our God is the one who strengthens both you and me. Under the title "God Who Strengthens Me," I will meditate on two aspects of the grace that God grants us, hoping that we will receive His blessings.
First, the God who strengthens me adds strength to help me.
Look at Psalm 89:19: "Then you spoke in a vision to your holy one, and said: 'I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.'" God made a covenant with His chosen servant, David, to save His chosen people, Israel. God was faithful to that covenant and added strength to David, the "mighty one." God anointed His servant David with His holy oil (v. 20), made him the king of Israel, was with him, and strengthened him. With His mighty right hand, God gave David the power to succeed (v. 21). As a result, David, empowered by God, cried out, "He shall call to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation'" (v. 26). By crying out to God, the rock of his salvation, God prevented his enemies from plundering him and did not allow the wicked to oppress him (v. 22). God destroyed David's enemies before him (v. 23), and He exalted David (v. 24), expanding his dominion (v. 25).
Our God is a God who, in His time, grants the grace of help: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Our God knows the needs of each of us. He, the Almighty God, knows exactly when and how we need help. And He is a God who "is touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:15). That God, who understands our weaknesses, is with us in our time of need, strengthening us. He holds us up with His mighty right hand. Especially, like the words of the gospel song "You Are My Son," when we are "tired, weary, disheartened, and unable to get up," He quietly comes, takes our hand, and speaks to us. What does God say to us? Just like in the song, "You are my son; today I have begotten you. You are my son, my beloved son." I pray that tonight, we all hear God's voice and gain strength. God wants to add strength to you and me. May the God who gives grace to help in time of need be with us tonight and make us strong as we listen to His word and pray with faith.
Secondly, the God who strengthens me keeps His lovingkindness forever.
Look at Psalm 89:28: "I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail." In the words of Psalm 89:1-18, particularly verses 2-3, we see that God made a covenant with His chosen one, David, and swore, saying, "I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations." How did God say He would keep this oath? He promised to establish it forever with His mercy, and to strengthen the covenant with His faithfulness (v. 2). God promised to be with David forever in His love (mercy). In this context, God not only promised to make David the greatest among the kings of the world (v. 27), but also to protect him forever (v. 28), and to establish David's descendants permanently (v. 29). However, if David's descendants sinned against God, God promised to discipline them (vv. 30-32). Look at verse 32: "I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging." But the amazing eternal love of God is expressed in verses 33-34: "But I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered." God promised that, even though He would discipline the descendants of David if they sinned, He would never fully cast them away. The reason God cannot abandon David's descendants forever is because "once God has sworn by His holiness, He cannot lie to David" (v. 35). Therefore, David prayed that God would remember the covenant He made with him and deliver Israel from the distress and shame they were suffering at that moment (vv. 38-51) (Parker Yunseon). He knew that the suffering and shame of the people of Israel were a result of God's anger (vv. 38, 46), and thus David cried out to God, asking: "How long will You hide Your face from us in Your wrath?" (v. 46). The Lord had raised the hand of the enemies of Israel in His anger (v. 42), and they had caused Israel to be insulted (v. 50). Therefore, David prayed for mercy, and relying on "the former mercy that You swore to David in Your faithfulness," he pleaded for God's salvation (v. 49).
God's love for us is eternal. With this eternal love, God loves you and me in the past, present, and forever. However, we must not forget that God's love is also a holy love. When we sin against God, He disciplines us because He loves us. But God's amazing grace is that, even when He disciplines us, He does not take away His eternal love from us. Even in His anger, God does not remove His love for us. Therefore, like the psalmist, we must rely on God's eternal and faithful love (mercy) when we are disciplined for our sins, and we should earnestly seek God's grace of salvation.
Like the psalmist, what can we do in times of trouble because of God who strengthens us? We can resolve to praise God and put it into practice [(v. 52) “Praise the Lord forever. Amen, Amen.”] Our God adds strength to help us when we cry out in trouble. Therefore, He is a God who shows us His everlasting love (kindness). Therefore, a heart that has experienced (experienced) that God’s everlasting love cannot help but praise God.
After praising “Lord, my strength,”
Pastor James Kim shares
(With a grateful heart to God who adds strength to help me because His love is with me forever)