S42P2 – Confessions of Psalm 119: God’s word lasts

Psa. 119:89-91

Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.

There is a great problem with the fleeting things of this world. It explains why many people reach the highest of heights and gain all there is to gain, yet they are left empty and unsatisfied. This is not a new story, and we can see generations and even civilizations over the years experience this phenomenon. We can attribute this to a number of things, but perhaps there is a rather simple explanation. Perhaps we must look at human satisfaction through the proper lens. If we believe that God made us for an eternal purpose, and we believe that his design was for us to be with him forever, then we need to see ourselves as eternal beings. It would stand to reason, then, that true human satisfaction can be achieved only by those things which touch on eternity.

Today’s confession from the psalmist is telling us several things. He has confessed the enduring and eternal nature of God and his word. The One we serve is steadfast and unchanging. He is not going anywhere, and neither is his word. What this means for us is security. When we search for satisfaction or fulfillment in temporary things what we are really looking for is security. The problem we encounter is that so much of what we find simply does not last. It is blown about in the wind, and that does not make us feel secure. There is something to God’s eternal nature that spiritually grounds us and gives us a place on which we can stand. And just like his word, the fulfillment that God gives us is everlasting. It does not fade or crumble. The Lord does not satisfy only some of the time or only in certain circumstances. The Lord satisfies always.

The eternalness of God and his word allows us to put our complete trust and faith in him. We need not second-guess whether He will betray us or leave us. We need not wonder whether his word, his promises, will ever change. The Lord is secure, and that is why we can find true satisfaction and fulfillment in him. We are eternal beings who are thirsty and hungry for that which lasts forever. God provides what we need to quench that thirst and satisfy that hunger. When we find ourselves forgetting this, we need simply confess this truth that God’s word and his faithfulness endure forever. Father, thank You that your word and your faithfulness are eternal and unchanging, and remind us of this when we begin to doubt.