Psalm 119:89-96

Psalm 119:89-96

Certainty In Uncertainty

I.                    Only God’s unfailing Word provides certainty in uncertain times; so we must stand firmly on the unshifting foundation of His Word (Vv. 89-91)

a.   The Psalmist has been facing increasing difficulty over the last several stanzas as he’s been continually afflicted by the hostility and uncertainty of the world. In the stanza just prior to our passage today, the Psalmist had hit his low point; he was languishing for God’s salvation as the difficulties of life and attacks of people pounded against him like a relentless ocean surf. He struggled to find sure footing and cried out to be saved, comforted, and revived. We all know what it’s like to experience difficulty and uncertainty in life, but even in those times there were many aspects of life that we took for granted for their certainty, such as work, school, commerce, social interaction, and other gatherings such as family holiday gatherings, and even church activities. However in our current circumstances, even those things are constantly called into question as we struggle for sure footing much like the Psalmist. So how do we live securely in such an uncertain and insecure world? The Psalmist has been struggling with that very question, and now God sets his feet on the only solid, certain, and unchanging foundation of His Word. No matter how the winds and currents of life are swirling around us, we can look up for perspective. The stars hang above our heads night after night. We observe and study them as we wonder at the laws which govern them, and consider their massive grandeur. But God’s Word transcends even the stars, and is eternally settled and unchanging. His unchanging nature and complete faithfulness governs the universe which surrounds us and works from generation to generation here on Earth to effect His will and purposes. Not one small stroke of His Word will ever be changed or go unfulfilled. Many have tried to extinguish His Word from existence or change it to suite their own wicked purposes, but all have failed. We’re unable to see life from the full perspective of God’s sovereign and transcendent view, but His Word moves our eyes off our struggles and turns them up to His magnificent glory. He reminds us that He alone commands all things, and all things serve Him. He bends even the most difficult, tragic, and uncertain times of our lives to His will, for His purposes, and for the good of those who belong to Him. But our limited minds will lose sight of that reality if we don’t continually ground ourselves in the firm and unshifting foundation of His Word! (Vv. 89-91; Ps. 2:1-8; Isa.  6:1-6; 8:20-22; 40:6-26; Matt. 5:17-18; 7:24-27; 24:35; John 1:1-3; Rom. 8:28; Jas. 1:16-17; 2 Pet. 3:1-15; Rev. 1:1-2, 9; 21:1-7)

II.                 Only God’s unfailing Word provides certainty in uncertain times; so we must trust fully in God’s faithfulness revealed in His Word (Vv. 92-96)

a.   God’s Word is our only source of certainty in an otherwise certain existence, and we must cling tightly to it as our foundation in life. However, God’s ultimate goal for His Word in our lives is not that it be a means of escaping the uncertain and difficult circumstances of life. Uncertainty and difficulty are a part of our world as a consequence of our sin, but God gives us His Word as the means of equipping and strengthening us to live faithfully and serve Him in midst of uncertainty. We don’t delight in the difficulty and uncertainty of life, but if we never come to delight in God’s Word, that difficulty and uncertainty will eventually overcome us. The Psalmist says that God moved him to delight in His Word, and used it to save him,  rescue him in life’s circumstances, and renew him to face its challenges. So the Psalmist continued to delight in God’s Word and diligently seek after God’s Word, and even though those who sought to cause him harm never went away, God faithfully delivered him from his affliction just as He promised. We all face challenges, difficulties, and uncertainty in life. The world is quick to promise us the answers for our difficulties, or the answers which will show us how to tap into our own strength that we might rescue and renew ourselves. But no amount of knowledge, resources, power, or trust in the agencies and faculties of humanity will save us, renew us, or sustain us in life. Like the Psalmist, we must diligently pursue God’s Word and apply it to our lives daily. Then we’ll see that no promise of the world or ability of man will ever reach perfection. But God alone has been perfect on our behalf through Christ, and His Word is perfect, powerful, and certain to reach into every area of our lives, save us, renew us, and equip us to glorify Him! (Vv. 92-96; Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4; John 1:14-18; 3:16; 8:30-36; 10:27-30; Rom. 11:33-12:2; Eph. 3:20; Phil. 1:6; 2 Cor. 5:17, 21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12-16; Jas. 1:18-21)