God who strengthens me
[Psalms 89:19-52]
I heard the news about a former baseball player in South Korea who murdered 4 people and took his own life. I was wondering how a person could be so cruel and evil. I was surprised to see that human cruelty is this much. According to the news, this former baseball player has paid the money to others before committing suicide. Maybe he killed those four people in order to steal their money. In the end, I think that it was murder because of financial pressure. I hear from people and in the news that not only America but also Europe and Asia as a whole are doing bad economically. As a result, I think that this kind of sinful thing caused by financial pressure is being expressed. Many people are depressed and frustrated, and feel desperate in despair.
Indeed, this world is full of sorrow and hardship. It is a world filled with many sinful things and death. As we live in this world, we can feel a lot of frustration, disappointment and despair. What should we do then? The Scripture Psalms 18:1 comes to my mind: “"I love You, O LORD, my strength.” One of the reasons why we love the Lord is because God is our strength.
The Scripture Psalms 80:21 says God’s hand will sustain us and surely His arm will strengthen us. Under the title "God who strengthens me," I want to meditate on two things about how God strengthens us.
First, God who strengthens us gives help.
Look at Psalms 89:19 – “Once You spoke in vision to Your godly ones, And said, "I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.” God, who made a covenant with David (“one who is mighty”) and were faithfully fulfilling it, had given him help in order to save the chosen people Israel. And God who anointed David with His holy oil (v. 20) strengthened him with His arm (v. 21). Therefore David took strength and cried to God: “You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation” (v. 26). When David cried out to God the Father who is the rock of salvation, God didn’t let the enemy of David to deceive him and afflict him (v. 22). Instead, God crushed David’s adversaries before him and stroke those who hate him (v. 23). And God exalted David on high (v. 24) and extended his powers (v. 25).
Our God is the God who gives help us in times of need. Look at Hebrews 4:16 – “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Our God knows our needs. He is the Almighty God who knows best when we need help. And our God is the God who can sympathize with our weaknesses (4:15). This God who can sympathize with our weakness helps and strengthens us when we need help. God holds us with His powerful right hand. Especially when we are troubled, tired, depressed, torn down, and in no power at all, God comes to us quietly and holds our hand and speaks to us. What does God say? Don’t you think He will say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father (Heb. 1:5) and I love you”? I hope and pray that we may be able hear this voice of God and be strengthened. May God help us and give us strength. May God, who gives us grace to help in time of need, be with us so that we may hear this message and be strengthened as we pray to God in faith.
Second, God who strengthens us keeps His lovingkindness for us forever.
Look at Psalms 89:28 – “My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall be confirmed to him.” In Psalms 89:3-4, God who made a covenant with His chosen David, and swore, “I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations.” How did God say that He would keep this oath? He promised to build up the covenant firmly with His lovingkindness and His faithfulness "(v. 2). God promised David that He would be with him forever with his lovingkindness. Not only did God promise David He would make him the highest of the kings of the earth (v. 27) but also He would keep him forever (v. 28) and He would establish his descendants forever (v. 29). But if David’s sons sinned against God, then God would punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes (vv. 30-32). But the amazing eternal love of God speaks today in verses 33-34: “But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness. My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.” God promised that when David's offspring sinned, He would punish him, but He would not break off His lovingkindness from him. The reason was once God had sworn by His holiness, he would not lie to David (v. 35). Therefore, the psalmist remembered the covenant that God made with David and asked Him to rescue the Israelites from the present suffering and disgrace of Israel (vv. 38-51, Park Yun-sun). Since David knew that the hardships and disgrace of the people of Israel was due to the wrath of God (vv. 38, 46), he cried to God how long would He hide Himself in His wrath (v. 46). God had exalted the right hand of His adversaries (v. 42) and let them reproach the Israelites (v. 50). Therefore, the Psalmist prayed for God's mercy (vv. 47-48), and prayed for the God’s salvation by relying on His former lovingkindnesses and faithfulness (v. 49).
God's love for us is eternal. With that eternal love, God loves us in the past, now and forever. But we must not forget that the love of God is also a holy love. When we sin against God, He punishes us because He loves us. But God's wonderful grace is that when He disciplines us He doesn’t take away His eternal love completely. God is God who does not withdraw His love for us in His wrath. Therefore, we, like the psalmist, should sincerely pray for God's grace of salvation by relying on His eternal and faithful love even while we sin and are punished in the wrath of God.
What we can do, even when we are afflicted, is to decide to praise God and put it into action (v. 52). Our God strengthens us and help us when we cry out in trouble. He is God who shows us His eternal love. Therefore, when we experience the eternal love of God, we cannot but praise God.
After praising ‘O Lord, my strength,’
James Kim
(Giving thanks to God for His eternal love that is with me and for giving me more power to help)