81 My soul languishes for Your salvation;
I [aj]wait for Your word.
82 My eyes fail with longing for Your [ak]word,
[al]While I say, “When will You comfort me?”
83 Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do not forget Your statutes.
84 How many are the days of Your servant?
When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me?
85 The arrogant have dug pits for me,
Men who are not [am]in accord with Your law.
86 All Your commandments are faithful;
They have persecuted me with a lie; help me!
87 They almost destroyed me [an]on earth,
But as for me, I did not forsake Your precepts.
88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness,
So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
The psalmist was in a “sticky” situation, to say the least. His soul was languishing, his eyes failing, he had been persecuted, and men had attempted to trap him with lies. His persecutors had almost destroyed him, and yet he did not forsake God’s precepts.
If any passage illustrates the source of our hope, this one does. Or at least, though we don’t see the rescue, we see where NOT to put our hope. When we are in trouble, we often look to our own devices. After all, we ought to be self-sufficient, right? That way we don’t have to depend upon anyone or anything.
Well, almost, but not quite. There is no one on this earth that will come through every time, and people will let us down. That doesn’t mean we just give up on them, but we must know where our true hope comes from (spoiler, we’ll see more on that in a few days also). Even though we can and should include others in our plans and dreams, and not attempt to “go it alone”, they are not the source of our strength.
Thus, we’ve eliminated other people, and we aren’t self-sufficient, and there’s nothing else on this earth that is rock solid–not even the very rocks. The psalmist knew his source, that he must continue to trust in God’s words, and in Him alone. Over and over, there was every reason to give up on God, and even at the end, God hadn’t come through… yet.
But God’s promises are sure, and when we stick to His plan, we can be sure He will see us through to the end, and beyond. Take inspiration from the psalmist, though you be at the end of your rope, He is the only one worth hanging on to. Look beyond your own strength, and even that of your closest friends, and trust in the One who lays out the path before you. Find His strength every new day, and keep moving forward with Him.