12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O [j]Lord,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15 For [k]judgment [l]will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart [m]will follow it.
16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?17 If the Lord had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.
19 When my anxious thoughts [n]multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.
20 Can a [o]throne of destruction be allied with You,
One which devises [p]mischief by decree?
21 They band themselves together against the [q]life of the righteous
And condemn [r]the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has been my stronghold,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them
And will [s]destroy them in their evil;
The Lord our God will [t]destroy them.
The second half of this psalm has such a great start, talking about how God disciplines us… Rather, you’ve probably heard, “no discipline seems pleasant at the time” and would wholeheartedly agree. Yet, when God does discipline us, it also means we can apply the rest of this psalm, that He will not forsake us or abandon us.
As the psalmist asks in v. 16, “who will stand up for me?” The answer is seen in the very next verse, as the Lord is our help, He will “hold us up”. When our strength fails, and our foot slips, when anxiety attacks in the night, He is there to console us. Not just to give us peace, but the psalmist takes it up a notch to delight.
Though the whole world conspire against you, they are not on His side. And in Him we find our stronghold, our refuge, and sure footing. No, discipline does not seem pleasant. Now now, probably not ever, but it reminds us of His love and care in our lives. It reminds us that God is still not finished with us, and He has overcome the world.