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Psalm 119 - Yod

The student has learned something about the benefits of discipline.  I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to tell you, though, that, along with all the benefits, discipline wasn't always very comfortable!  And, although he knows God will bring good out of it, he also knows it's right and proper to pray for relief from hard things, necessary as they might be.  In the stanza before us he's being taught a simple prayer for that relief.

He has to begin by asking God to use the afflictions, as long as they have to come, in such a way that he really will learn.  He knows he's hard hearted and dull when it comes to spiritual lessons, so He prays to Him Who knows him better than he knows himself.  He prays, "Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments."  He's just saying, "Lord, You know the right buttons to push to get me to learn something, because You made me - so help me learn!"

Then he goes on to remind the Lord that helping him will help others as well.  He says, "Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your Word."  Friends of his who love God will give the Lord thanks when they see the success He's having with this student.

But he has to do another thing as well - he has to admit that the afflictions were absolutely right and necessary. He has to say, " . . . in faithfulness You have afflicted me."  Once he's learned that wonderful lesson - and it's a lesson that often takes a long, long time and much affliction to learn – then, and then only – is it time to pray for mercy.  He can then pray, "Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your Word to Your servant.  Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live." 

Why should the Lord give him such relief?  Because, hopefully, the lesson has been learned! When he says, "For Your law is my delight," he's admitting that the Lord has been absolutely right – and these chastisements have taught him the truth. He's learned that God's Word is the most important thing in his life!

Apparently the affliction the Lord sent was through the means of "the proud" - those who certainly didn't intend to do him any good by it, and in fact they may even have ridiculed him in the midst of his afflictions.  So now he prays for relief so that he may be a witness and a testimony to them that the Lord is faithful, merciful, and good - and that these afflictions, meant by them for evil, were sovereignly administered for good by Jehovah Himself.  He prays that God's deliverance will result in their "shame," because "they treated me wrongfully with falsehood."  He's just asking that all will see that it was God's hand that brought those afflictions, but that the attitude of these "proud" was wrong.

Finally, the student had to learn that all such painfully learned lessons can result in good, not only for himself, but for others as well.  But for that to happen, he must learn that he needs to do one more thing. He explains, "But I will meditate on Your precepts."  He needs to meditate, to carefully think about and fully understand the applications of the written Word of God to all aspects of his life.  He prays that the result will be blessing to others. He says, "Let those who fear You turn to me, those who know Your testimonies."  In other words, "Grant that Your people will learn through my lesson."

In conclusion, he prays one last, all-encompassing prayer.  He says, "Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, that I may not be ashamed."  He's just asking that the lessons may be so thoroughly learned that he won't have to go through them again (and be doubly ashamed)!

How do you deal with affliction (hard times, stress, pain, disappointments, etc.)?  Do you see it as coming from the sovereign hand of a loving God?  It is, you know.  Do you admit to the Lord that He's right in sending it – that you need it?  Do you pray to learn from it?  Do you pray that others may be helped by your lesson?  And then do you pray for merciful relief?  Finally, does the affliction drive you to the Word in meditation, so that you'll understand it so well that you won't have to go through the same lesson again?  Oh, afflictions are wondrous teachers! Along with the young Hebrew student here, may we see our God's loving hands in them!