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Future Hope – Present Commitment (Psalm 119:81)

Psalm 119:81

 

Take time to read this stanza, verses 81-88. The psalmist is in dire straits. He is suffering significant persecution and his enemies’ ultimate goal is to kill him.

 

In light of his circumstances, the psalmist longs to be rescued by God. His suffering has been going on for a long time and there is no end in sight. He understands that God alone is the great deliverer.

 

While he desires God to deliver him, he does not become self-consumed. It would be easy in such difficult times to neglect God’s word and focus solely on the circumstances of life.

 

Waiting is a challenging discipline in a sinful world! We like quick answers and minimal suffering. Of course, this is not an accurate picture of the Christian life. The idea of waiting for God’s word means that in God’s word the psalmist finds hope for the future. He can look forward to what God has yet to accomplish. He can have confidence in God’s eternal plan.

 

Contemplate how Paul describes this principle:

 

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18

 

Such promises provide great encouragement for the believer. We must see the bigger picture. We must learn, understand, and cling to the promises of God that are found in His word. At times, this life seems like it will last forever. But, in reality, our lives are very short and eternity is just around the corner.

 

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil…

Hebrews 6:19

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Rocky Wyatt

Rocky Wyatt came to know the Lord as a young teenager and began working in youth ministry when in college. After serving in churches in Utah, California and Colorado, Rocky moved to Texas to serve as Youth Pastor at Countryside Bible Church. He served there for 26 years where he eventually moved from youth ministry to serve as an Associate Pastor.

Over the course of his ministry, Rocky has always had a desire to train men for pastoral ministry in the context of the local church. In 1992 he started XL Ministries, an organization that is committed to helping churches establish intensive internships for pastoral training. In 2020 he left his position at Countryside Bible Church to become the Executive Director of XL Ministries and now works full time assisting churches in training men for ministry.

He is co-author of The Youth Ministry Training Manual, a textbook for training youth pastors, and has also written multiple other resources for use in various local church ministries. He is currently working on a book to encourage churches to take the primary responsibility to train pastors.

Rocky is married to Pamela, has two sons and daughters-in-law, and ten grandchildren. 

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.1 Corinthians 15:58