Have you ever felt weighed down by something? I think a lot of people are feeling that way right now. Let’s be honest, it can be easy to get weighed down by cares and concerns, or gripped by fear or panic, especially if you watch the news or spend time on social media. But this isn’t how God intended for us to live. There are many blessings and benefits of reading the Bible daily. In today’s text, David gives us one. It comes from the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119. Even though Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, it has one single theme, the Word of God. Psalm 119:28 says, “My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word.”
This is a genuine plea from David to God. David is saying, “Lord, with everything going on around me and in me, I’m weighed down. I don’t feel like I can keep going with all this pressure on me, I need help.” Have you ever felt like that? Like life is so heavy right now, I don’t feel like I can take one more step. If that is you, here is David’s encouragement to you, open up the Bible because the Bible will give you strength. Maybe you are wondering, how can the Bible give me strength?
- It reminds you that God is in control. With everything going on right now in the world, many people are wondering what is coming next. So many things seem so out of control right now. Yet, there is a sovereign God who is ruling from His throne in complete control. Even though we may not know when the virus is going to subside, God does. Even though we may not see how any good can come from this virus and the subsequent shutdown, God not only knows the good that can come out of it, He is going to bring it about in His time. So, the Bible gives us strength by reminding us that we don’t have to have all of the answers, and we don’t have to figure it all out; because God already has, and He is going to work it out for His glory and our good.
- It reminds us that we have been forgiven and redeemed. If you have surrendered in faith to Jesus Christ, God has already defeated your greatest enemy. By Jesus’ death on the cross, the payment for your sin was made, and God’s wrath against your sin was satisfied. By His resurrection, Jesus has proven that He is God and He is King. Therefore, we no longer have any reason to fear sickness or death. Since salvation is a free gift from God to all who surrender to Him, it is not something we can ever lose. Therefore, we can face whatever comes in life, because we know that our eternity is secured by Jesus.
- It reminds us that we are not alone. In these days of isolation, many people are feeling alone. While many people have friends or family who are either living with them, or checking up on them; we must remember that there are many who don’t have those people. Even if you have people around you, it is possible to feel alone. Yet, the Bible reminds us in Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews 13:5 along with other places, that if you are a child of God, you are never alone because God is always with you.
- It reminds us that things won’t always be like this. We have been dealing with this quarantine now for over a month. We have watched news conferences, and we have heard the numbers of new cases of COVID-19 and the number of deaths. It is easy to fall into the thinking that this is the new way of life, that we will have to socially distance forever. Yet, the Bible says that there is a better day coming for those who have trusted and surrendered to the Gospel.
If you are feeling weighed down I would encourage you to do a couple of things today. First, turn off the news and get off of social media. Second, pray to God for help in dealing with your thoughts and emotions during this time. Finally, pick up the Bible and start reading it. Look at the many promises that God has given. Read stories where things didn’t look good, but then God changed everything. While you can’t control what is going on, you can control who you are looking to for help and encouragement. So, let’s get our eyes off the world and onto the One who died to save the world.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin