“Consistency”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Psalm 119:49-72 (Forward, p. 13) CEV p. 630

There is a basic theological truth, namely that the righteous are saved by faith, that can be subject to misinterpretation, and sometimes, even to confusion. It was Habakkuk that first enunciated this principle (Habakkuk 2:4) but in so doing he was harkening back to the exemption of our forebearer in the faith, Abraham (see Genesis 15:6). It was a principle that was again picked up by the apostle Paul (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11).

However, it is sometimes asserted, on the basis of these particular texts, that it is our own faith that saves us—in other word, something that we do. However, in reality it is all God’s doing. We are saved by grace, by God’s grace, by His unearned, unmerited favour. It is through grace alone that we are saved. It means that God loves, forgives and saves us not because of who we are or what we do or even because of how or what we believe. It is simply because of what God in Christ Jesus has done. In other words, it is entirely of God’s doing. It is because of God’s faithfulness that we are saved. So, where faith, our faith, comes into the picture is simply our acceptance, our buying-into what God has already done. It is simply our decision to put our trust in Him and in His completed work.

So, it is a kind of dual action, a partnership between God and us humans. We see something of this in today’s Scripture portion. First off, there is what God does, God’s promises and God’s faithfulness. These are things that our psalmist feels that he can count upon no matter what:

“Don’t forget your promise to me, your servant. I depend on it. When I am hurting, I find comfort in your promises that leads to life” (verses 49-50);

“I find true comfort, Lord, because your laws have stood the test of time” (verse 52);

“I am your servant, Lord, and you have kept your promise to treat me with kindness” (verse 65);

And, because this is so dependable, so reliable, the psalmist responds in like manner by the way that he lives:

“No matter what I am, your teachings fill me with songs. Even in the night I think about you, Lord, and I obey your Law” (verses 54-55);

“Your laws are so fair that I wake up and praise you in the middle of the night” (verse 62);

So, no matter where he is, or what time of day it is, he is committed to following, obeying and trusting in God. And yes, even when things are not going well and trouble seems around him at every point, he continues in this faithfulness:

“Evil people may set a trap, but I obey your law” (verse 61);

“My reputation is being ruined by conceited liars, but with all my heart I follow your teachings. Those liars have no sense, but I find happiness in your Law” (verses 69-70);

Indeed, we see that he values God and God’s way more than all else, and is firmly committed to following and obeying promptly what God dictates:

“I would rather obey you than to have a thousand pieces of silver and gold” (verse 72).

“I pay careful attention as you lead me, and I follow closely. As soon as you command I do what you say” (verses 59-60);

But, all in all, all of this stems from what God has already done for him. He trusts, he has faith, because of God’s faith, God’s faithfulness. It is God that sustains him—and us—and so we need to trust in Him, always. Amen.

Forward notes: “Before I was afflicted, I went astray” (verse 67a).

“Our daughter, Katie, offered to take salt to the cows in the river pasture, a wide canyon with an ash, elm, and cottonwood forest. We told Katie she would have to cross the rickety bridge, go up the hill, through a gate in the next pasture, and then back through a gate into the river pasture.

“Katie took a four-wheeler ATV and was having a wonderful time when she got to the first gate. From there, she could see the salt tub, so she decided to take a shortcut. The cow track got deeper, and she kept going. The track followed a severe descent, and she kept going. And then the ATV flipped, and she was in the bottom of the cow track with a bag of salt. The ATV (thankfully) bounced over her and came to a stop, nose down against a cedar tree with the cargo rack skewered by the trunk.

“There she was, bruised and battered and stranded miles from home. After a while, the neighbors came along in a jeep with their grandkids and asked, ‘How did the four-wheeler get there?’ Katie replied, ‘It was a series of bad decisions.’ I am proud of her. In an age where we are quick to blame someone else, she knew exactly what went wrong.”

Moving Forward: “Do you need to take a new path? Ask for God's help.”