Sweet solace in adversity ∙∙
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. – Psalm 94:19
Psalms 94:16-23
16 Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
17 Unless the LORD had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of death.
18 I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me.
19 When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
22 But the LORD is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.
23 God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The LORD our God will destroy them.
Have you ever had a fellow worker defend you when you made a mistake or your performance was subpar? Perhaps, in doing so, they put their reputation at risk. They may have even defended your lapse to a customer or even management. They may have protected you from negative feedback. Perhaps they even took responsibility for your mistake.
Such acts of solidarity and protection can profoundly impact, affirm trust, and strengthen relationships.
Who supports you when you need it most? Who stands by you? Who has your back? For every child of the King, the answer is wonderful.
“God is an ever-present comfort, even when our emotions bounce off the wall, and our hearts zigzag in a thousand directions. God wants to calm our anxieties, but even before that happens, He comforts us in our distress” (Stanley).
Many of our enemies are inward, harmful negative attitudes and emotions. Anxiety, fear, and uncertainty about the future or the present become our adversaries. Semi-dormant toxic experiences and memories waiting to be triggered. They grip us. Fear and anxiety are like muggers lurking in the dark, waiting to strike and harm us.
They pounce without warning. Our feelings go into overdrive. We begin to churn inside, and our rational thoughts are smothered. Our anxious thoughts explode within us. Any contentment or sense of assurance and safety vanishes. Suddenly, we’re overwhelmed by a storm of anxious thoughts.
There is wonderful news. As children of the King, we have the opportunity to switch gears. Our Father is ever present, tenderhearted, and lovingly concerned about us. He watches over us with love.
We have total freedom to share our anxious thoughts and feelings with Him. In some marvelous way, we are able to have a catharsis. We calm down, regain equilibrium, and return to tranquil thankfulness.
REFLECT & PRAY
In the midst of our anxiety, the Father’s consolation produces joy to lighten our burden.
Father thank You for being a sanctuary where we can open our hearts and release our fears and anxieties. You know our thoughts before we say a word. You know where we are coming from. You respond by pouring out lovingkindness and sweet comfort.
INSIGHT
Psalm 94 models how to pour out our hearts and deepest troubles to the Father. The psalmist is in great anguish. His emotions are raw. His thoughts are running wild. He laments and pours out his heart and seeks the Father’s protection and consolation. Adversaries loom near, yet wonderfully, so does the comforting presence of the Father. He stands as a beacon of hope and reassurance. The psalmist poses a poignant question, echoing through the ages in the eloquent verses of Hebrew poetry.
Psalms 94:16 Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Who has his back? The psalmist exclaims in beautiful Hebrew poetry for all to hear and remember for the millennia to come.
Psalms 94:17-19
17 Unless the LORD had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.
18 I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me.
19 When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
The Hebrew word translated as comfort or consolations is tanchum. Tanchummeans to reassure or console. The origin of the root reflects the idea of “breathing deeply,” hence the physical display of one’s feelings, usually sorrow, compassion, or comfort (TWOT).
Psalm 94 laments the present reality that the wicked are in control and oppress the children of the King. These evildoers have no fear of the Father. At the same time, it vividly celebrates the Father’s magnificent greatness and omniscience. The psalmist praises the Father as he recalls the Father’s steadfast, loyal love (hesed).
There’s something wonderful concealed just below the surface. On the one hand, the Father is revealed in all his greatness and power. He can come to the aid of all children of the King. But on the other hand, His comfort effervesces with sweet cheer. The Father’s comfort is like a calming touch, a soothing balm.
The original Hebrew of Psalms 94:19 reads, “When my worries are many within me, your comforts cause my soul to delight” (UBS).
The children of the King are not only sustained by the Father’s unwavering love in their trials but also experience their anxieties being transformed into a comforting sweetness and deep-seated joy. “From my sinful thoughts, my vain thoughts, my sorrowful thoughts, my griefs, my cares, my conflicts, I will hasten to the Lord; he has divine comforts, and these will not only console but actually delight me. How sweet are the comforts of the Spirit!” (Spurgeon).
Picture a wanderer, lost and parched in the expanse of a desert, yearning for just a drop of water to satiate his thirst. Along comes a stranger who offers him not water but an exquisite elixir that surpasses any nectar he has ever tasted. Not only is his physical thirst quenched, but his anxieties are also miraculously replaced with the joyous sweetness of this unexpected gift.
As the children of the King, we’re invited to undergo a profound paradigm shift. Instead of being burdened by our worries and fears, we are enveloped in a comforting serenity amidst our struggles. Our current challenges become avenues for spiritual maturation. This is part of the divine nurturing and discipline from the Father.
Psalms 94:12 Joyful are those you discipline, LORD, those you teach with your instructions.
For each child of the King, the question becomes, “What am I supposed to learn from this, and how do I respond properly to Your gracious intervention?” Or, “What would you have your servant do?”
The Father’s omnipotent kingship guarantees His final victory over all who oppose Him, even if they are members of His own people (who ought to have acknowledged His rule!). It is always worth being on Father’s side (ESV).
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© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 