Psalm 54:4

Psalm 54:4

Behold, God is my helper;

the Lord is the upholder of my life.

Oftentimes when we most need something, we see that God is that something. There are two ways we can go about this. The incorrect way is to make God into who we want Him to be so that He can fill our needs. A right approach, however, is one in which we realize that we are far too weak to do anything about our circumstances but that God is not; He is the Remedy. Therefore in our time of need, He is the helper; in death He upholds us.

David could not get a firm grasp on this until his life was in danger (v. 3). He needed a Savior, and that Savior was the Lord. It was not merely God's help that David sought; it was God, the Helper, the Upholder.

We need not seek individual gifts. It is unsatisfying and foolish. Rather, at all times let us seek that Giver, the God who sees and satisfies. He will be an unfailing Refuge amid times of evil. He will bring comfort by His own goodness and faithfulness. He is the Upholder.

Psalm 50:1

Psalm 50:1

The Mighty One, God the LORD,

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to its setting.

God has supreme power over the universe in a way we cannot comprehend. Lest He command a star to shine, it does not shine - it cannot. Not only has God created the earth, but He also commands it. It has its existence because God speaks its existence. It spins and travels only to where God calls it.

The care and command of the Mighty One never rest. He is actively involved in His creation; this is the ultimate denial of Deism. He uses seemingly random and catastrophic acts of the weather to move people from one place to another (see vv. 4-5). "He causes His sun to rise, He sends the rain."1

God's activity in His world is unfathomable. His power none can grasp. "Did He speak the world into existence? Does matter exist apart from Him? Is it still here? Are you still here? Then He is still speaking."2

Notes

1. Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts (Colorado Springs, CO: NAVPRESS, 1988), 102.

2. N.D. Wilson, Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009), 31.

Psalm 107:9

Psalm 107:9

For he satisfies the longing soul,

And the hungry soul he fills with good things.

All of creation is dependent on God for life and sustenance. Yet there are souls who long for more than living for temporary pleasure, and they are blessed because God fills them (Matt. 5:6). Again, there are souls who have been abused by the ills of this world and long for comfort. It is they that are met by God's grace (Matt. 5:4).

It is not as though God could not satisfy the rich with greater riches. Yet His mercy chooses those who feel they have no alternative but Him. They are in greatest position to be filled because they are most hungry. They are readily met by the Saviour because they desperately need the Saviour.

God is the One who mercifully gives to the poor and clothes the naked. He has no obligation and gives not out of compulsion but out of love. There is no one to aid or assist Him and nothing to add to His kindness. And therefore He is most glorified for His gracious gift, and those who are satisfied by His grace are truly satisfied in His grace. For God Himself is the true satisfaction for every man.