God is a Gracious God
Psalm 119:55-58 I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favour with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
When we’re caught up in the doom and gloom that sometimes envelopes our lives, the last thing that we expect of God is that He’s gracious: full of grace that He’s ready to pour out on us. Oh, perhaps you know the theory. My grace is sufficient for you, right? But knowing that in your heart, expecting that of God, experiencing that … that’s a whole ‘nother thing.
But today, I believe with all my heart, in fact I know it with all my heart, God wants you to become someone who experiences His grace every moment, of every day, for the rest of your life. Is that something that you’d like to receive? Well, I can’t give it to you, but God can, through His Spirit and His Word:
I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favour with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. (Psalm 119:55-58)
You see the question is, what is it, that will give you confidence, complete and absolute confidence, in God’s graciousness towards you? How can the light of His grace shine in your heart, when there’s darkness all around. And make no mistake, the psalmist writing those words there, was going through some terribly dark times.
I remember your name in the night O Lord – isn’t night time always the worst time? Things churn around in your mind, the fear sets in, the cold sweats. I’ve been there and I’m sure you have too. It’s in those dark hours that we need to remember the name of the Lord, to experience His blessings falling on us, to know that no matter what we may lose in this world, the Lord is our portion.
From where does the psalmist draw his confidence? From knowing God’s precepts and keeping them. You have to know God’s Word to live God’s Word.
And you know what it’s like. When you’ve been through a difficult situation, but you’ve handled it in a godly way, a loving way, a humble way, a way that honours God … it may have been hard, it may have hurt a lot, but doing good in the midst of bad puts a quiet confidence in your heart.
Not an arrogant self-righteousness. That’s not what the psalmist is talking about. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. In the darkness of the night, knowing that you’ve lived through those difficulties and challenges in a way that honours God, is a huge blessing.
And that gives you the confidence to entreat God in those dark hours, that He would be gracious to you, according to His promises.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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