Psalm 119:50

Today we come to the second verse in the octave of Psalm 119 entitled Zain

Psalms 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

The verse begins with the demonstrative pronoun this. The pronoun this points to a person or thing that is present in space, time, or thought. It especially points to something that has just been mentioned, as is the case here. In the previous verse the psalmist mentioned the word of God to him, upon which God had caused him to hope. The word of God to me that gives me hope is indeed my comfort in my affliction.

Now just what is comfort?

Comfort - Strengthening; encouragement, incitement; aid, succour, support, countenance (appearance of favour).

The psalmist found in God’s word a source of strength, encouragement, and support when he was in affliction. Do you? Does your Bible truly help you cope with the hardships of life? Does it open to you a window of hope beyond what you are suffering? It should, because that is what it was written to do.

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Consider some of the things you can expect from the Lord because He has promised them to you in His word. This is God’s word upon which He has caused you to hope. You can expect Him to supply all your need (Philippians 4:19). When you confess your sins to God, you can expect Him to forgive them and to cleanse you of them (1JO 1:9). As you go through life with its heap of troubles, the Lord has promised to help you, to strengthen you, and to always be there for you (Isaiah 41:10; 43:2; Hebrews 13:5-6). You can count on the Lord to never permit you to be tempted above your ability to bear (1Corinthians 10:13). You may confidently expect the Lord Jesus Christ to come back for you and to take you to His Father’s house where He has prepared a place for you (John 14:1-3). Are not all these things a comfort to you in your affliction?

The reason God’s word was a comfort to the psalmist was because it quickened him. Let’s look again at the definition of quicken.

Quicken – To give or restore life to; to make alive; to vivify or revive; to animate. To give, add, or restore vigour to (a person or thing); to stimulate, stir up, rouse, excite, inspire.

Afflictions have a way of draining us, of wearing us down. They can sap the life out of us. In such a state we need our vigour restored. We need stirring up. And that is what God’s word of hope does for us. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Troubles which weigh us down when we are half dead become mere trifles when we are full of life.” When the word of God revives you and stirs you up, it strengthens you and helps you, that is, it comforts you. It makes your affliction more bearable. When this happens, then you can say from experience: This is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me.

And if the word of the Lord is not bringing you comfort, if it is not stirring you up, then you might well ask yourself if you are truly the Lord’s servant. For this verse and the one that precedes it are talking about God’s word to His servant. The benefits of quickening and comfort belong to those who submit to the Lord as His servants.

Let me conclude this meditation with a word of warning. When you are being stressed and drained by the afflictions of life, be very careful about what you turn to for comfort. The devil will be only too ready at those times to offer you sources of comfort that in the end will destroy you. Examples of such faulty sources of comfort would be alcohol or drug abuse, gluttony, gambling, overmuch pleasure, unhealthy relationships, fornication, or adultery, to name some. In all your afflictions, let your first recourse for support be to your God and His word. Wait patiently for Him. Never forget that it is “through patience and comfort of the Scriptures” that we have hope (Romans 15:4, cited above). The Lord will bring relief in due time.

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

And when the good Lord has tried you in the furnace of affliction and exercised your patience, you will be the better for it. Let this prospect be your comfort in your affliction.

Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.