Bible Meditation: Psalm 119:28
How we handle life's difficulties show what kind of people we are
Psalm 119:28—“My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.”
This is a good verse because everybody on earth knows exactly what David is talking about. This world has many, many problems, difficulties, heartbreaks, defeats—a constant billowing sea that rages for a while and calms for a while. People complain about it, blame God, apparently think that He is supposed to make everything on this earth a bed of roses. Well, He never promised that, and such wouldn’t build an ounce of character in us. If this earth were heaven, then we would have nothing to look forward to after this life.
Regardless of what we think, we have to deal with life the way it is, and often our hearts “melt with heaviness.” There are good times in life for which we should be thankful. There are struggles in life for which we should also be thankful because they make us stronger people (James 1:2-4). How we handle both show what kind of people we are and, unfortunately, most humans fail miserably.
The word of God will strengthen us in times of trials. That is one of the reasons He gave it to us. He knows “the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). So, God provided the guidance found in His word. It isn’t His fault if we fail to look at it and let it strengthen us when our hearts “melt with heaviness.”