Experiencing God's Steadfast Love

Psalm 119:41-48

Today, I want us to look at what I have titled, Experiencing God’s Steadfast Love. I will point us to four things in the text (i) An Assurance of God’s Love (v.41), (ii) Affectionate To God’s Word, (iii) Testifying Of God’s Word, (iv) Freedom In God’s Word. 

Have you ever felt an abscense of God’s love and mercy in your life? I am certain we may all at some time in our lives have felt the abscense of God’s love. This may be a result of a negative experience you may have encountered: Sickness, loss of a loved one, financial challenges, a failed relationship and many other negative experiences common to life. Such times shapes the content of our prayers and requests.

In the Bible, we encounter prayers or requests shaped by what a person was experiencing. David, perhaps under the weight of remorse and conviction after he was confronted for his sin with Bathsheba, prayed for God’s Spirit to remain on him. Definitely, he may have thought his sin will cause the Holy Spirit to depart from him: “Cast me not away from your presence, take not your Holy Spirit from me” he prayed in Psalm 51:11. What was he going through? Perhaps spiritual dryness because of his sin. And he diagnosed that as condition for the departure of God’s presence.

See, often people tend to define the presence of God by emotions and sensations. But Scripture is very clear that we walk by faith not by sight “(2 Corinthians 5:7). So dear friends, the presence of God, God’ love, God’s provision, God’s protection etc is not based on what you feel. It’s based on biblical truth. So regardless of what you may ever feel because of your circumstances, be assured of God’s love for you, if you have believed in Christ

Assurance of God’s Love

Now it is likely the Psalmist in these words is having these feelings. He is asking where is the love of God? Where is his salvation. His circumstance is shaping his experience of God’s love: “Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise”

God’s steadfast love always abides with his people. In fact, the Bible tells us “the steadfast love of the Lord, never ceases, his mercies are new every morning” (Lamentation 3:23). This means that God never takes his love away from us. Friends, if you ever meet with any circumstance in life that leads you to question God’s love and care for you, be assured that, as Paul says nothing can separate you from the love of God. As Paul asked

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Life really sometimes presents us with situations that may cause us to ask questions of God’s love for us. What must we do? Do what the Psalmist did: seek assurance in God’s mercies. When the Psalmist prayed “Let your steadfast love come to me…” all he was saying is God: “Manifest your love to me, show me your love, reveal your love” We should be able to pray this in our dark moments.

In a moment of confusion, in a moment of loneliness, in a moment of grief, in a moment of hardship, we can seek God’s Assurance of his love for us.

Now God’s love and mercies find expression in God extending his salvation to his people. It is only those who have been saved who can have an assurance of God’s love.  There is a fundamental way of interpreting the Psalm using parallelism. One line says something, then the second line reenforces it or explains it. So, in the verse 1, the steadfast love of God is explained as the salvation of God

1.  Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord

2.  your salvation according to your promise

There are not two things here. The Psalmist is speaking of the same thing: God’s steadfast love and his salvation. Some translations translate God’s steadfast love as his Mercies. In salvation, God extends his mercy to sinners so that he will show them his love. This is the message of the Christian faith, that God in his mercies has shown his love to the sinners through Jesus Christ so that in him, sinners will come to salvation.

Affection To God’s Word

Now those who have experienced God’s steadfast love and mercy are devoted to his word. They are affectionate to the word. They cherish it. You can’t be saved without an affection for God’s word. The two go together. Salvation and affection to the word.

In fact, all of Psalm 119 is about the word of God. Every turn of a verse, you are seeing the word of God expressed in various forms. When we did the Introduction to the Psalm, I pointed out how the word is expressed in the first 8 verses: law (v.1), precerpts (v.4), statutes (vv.5 & 8), commandments (v.6).

Now, assurance of God’s love as desired by the Psalmist can only be known in God’s word. You don’t feel God’s love. You don’t sense God’s love. Of course there are moments we are overwhelmed with emotions pondering over God’s love and salvation. But those are subjective experiences that vacilates based on what you are feeling. In one moment you feel loved by God. In another moment you are down and dry. Our only place of assurance of God’s love certainly is only in his word. Look at how this is expressed through the verses. v. 41 (according to your promise). In verse 42 & 43 the Psalmist expresses trust and hope in God’s word. This is important.

Brethren, Scripture is sufficient for us in every area of our life and therefore we must trust what it teaches and put our hope in God’s word. What the Bible commands, God commands. What the Bible teaches, God teaches. What the Bible promises, God promises:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2Timothy 3:16-17).

Our confidence in God’s word must also lead to obedience of the word. The Psalmist expresses this in v.44. We must not be a people who only speaks of the truths of God’s word. But we must be devoted to obedience to the word. Keep it continually. Not when it is convenient. But both when it is convenient and inconvenient. Forever and ever, says the Psalmist.

You will observe also that the Psalmist expresses a delight in God’s word. He loves the word. He craves after the word. He desires the word (vv.47-8).

I have come again to tell you something I have already told you. Desire the word. Read it. Meditate upon it. The word is food to our souls and we must eat it or we will be malnourished

Testifying Of God’s Word

Now why did the Psalmist pray this prayer seeking assurance of God’s love? The verse 42 gives us a sense of what is going on in the Psalmist life. He is being mocked for his faith, so he is seeking answers to give to his mockers: “then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word”. To taunt is to tease, mock, laugh at. The Psalmist is being mocked because of his faith and trust in God. And he seeks strength in God’s love to be able to handle his critics.

We can say that those who have experienced the love of God, attest to his word, they testify of him. They tell others about God. We see a sense of testifying of God’s word in  verse 42 & 46. In verse 42, the Psalmist desires to testify to his critics. Friends, there are people in our circles who will mock us for our faith and I am sure you may have experienced some already. In your family, in your offices, in school for the students among us. For such people, we should seek to have an answer for them. We should testify of God’s goodness to them.

Look at how the verse 42 opens “Then”  The words “then” creates a connection between 41&42.  When God’s love is manifested to the Psalmist, he gets the confidence to face his mockers. Have you ever encountered a situation where your faith is was mocked? Maybe, directly or indirectly? In those situations I calmly say a prayer in my head: “Lord help me to be calm and give me an opportunity to address this” And I always get that opportunity through a phrase or statement the person will make. I will latch on that statement and engage. So when your faith is under attack, don’t just keep quiet; seek to have an answer. Seek to engage. Pray, listen and you will hear something that you can latch on to engage.

Now look also at v. 46; it teaches the same lesson of testifying about God’s love: “I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame” Testimonies are what God has done. So the Psalmist says he will speak of God’s deeds. But this takes the testimony higher: he will speak to Kings. In our context, we can say people of higher status in society. Politicians, influential people in society etc. This is a picture of boldness. The Psalmist will not only testify to his critics, but he will tell of God’s love to kings. Now I know for many of us here, even when we get an opportunity go testify to an influential person, we may squander the opportunity. Let us pray that God will give us confidence to testify of him even to kings. Let’s desire that our testimony will be

Walking In Freedom of God’s Word

God’s steadfast love brings freedom to God’s people through God’s word. The verse 45 expresses this freedom. The idea of walking in a wide place is a picture of freedom. When you have experienced God’s mercy and salvation, you are indeed a free person. Free from guilt, free from condemnation and reconciled to God in Christ

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1)

One of the common things that hold people back from walking in freedom in the faith is the problem of living with the guilt of past sin. They are forgotten, but still battling with yesterday. What does the Bible say? If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation, behold, old things are passed away, all things have become new (2Corinthians 5:17). If you are in Christ, you are free and totally forgiven of your sins. Past, Present and even future. You are a free man, you are a freewoman assured of God’s love giving you freedom from sin and bondage.

Now note the link between freedom and the Word of God.