Comforted in Affliction (Psalm 119:92)

If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.
– Psalm 119:92

Oh, memorize this verse. Hide it in your heart for the day when you are walking through affliction, and maybe you’re there right now. “If your law had not been my delight,” the psalmist writes, “I would have perished in my affliction.”

Psalm 119:92 Teaches Us God’s Word Sheds Light on Dark Days

In other words, to try to walk through affliction, trial, tribulation, challenges in this world without God’s law leads to death. It leads to darkness and despair. We can’t endure affliction in this world without the law of God. And not just having God’s word, and think about what that means. All of his promises to us, the truth about his character, the comfort that we find in his word, and that’s why this verse says. Psalm 119:92, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.”

Not just if I had not known your word, but if I had not known the joy and the comfort, and the strength, and the hope, and the help, and the satisfaction and the abundance, the rock that is found in your word, I would have perished in my affliction. If you’re walking through affliction right now, I want to encourage you, straight from Psalm 119 verse 92, to delight in God’s word. Don’t try to endure the affliction you’re walking through apart from God’s word.

Open it up in the morning. Meditate on who God is and the promises God makes to you and the purposes God is accomplishing in you and around you, and through you in affliction. Trust in His word. Love, delight in his word, and he will keep you from perishing in your affliction. He will keep you from darkness and despair. He will keep your mind and your heart from going to unhelpful, unhealthy places by the power of His word as you delight in it.

Psalm 119:92 Reminds Us God’s Word Brings Comfort on Dark Days

Oh God, I pray for those who are walking through affliction now. God, for every one of us who will walk through affliction today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, God, we pray that we would make your word our delight. We would delight in, trust in, read, meditate on, and be comforted by and be reminded by your word of who you are and your promises to us and your purposes that you are accomplishing for us. Even as I pray that, I think about your word. In Romans 8:28, it promises us you’re working all things together, including our afflictions together for our good, as we love you, and we’re called according to your purpose, how you’re making us more like Jesus, even in affliction.

Oh God, I pray for my own life, for the lives of every single person listening to this right now. Help us to delight in your word. And as we do, to help us live with hope, strength, and peace, joy and perseverance through affliction.

Praying for the Iranian People

God, we pray that for the peoples of the world. Think about Iranian people, Persian people in Iran, and those who are scattered in many other countries who’ve experienced all kinds of challenges, and especially recently have experienced an affliction. God, we pray that your delightful word would spread among Iranian people, that life and joy, and peace and hope in Jesus would be their delight in the middle of affliction.

Oh God, we pray this over our lives, over the nations. We praise you for not leaving us alone in our affliction, but for giving us your law that is our delight. Help us not to turn from it. Help us not to believe lies in our affliction, but to meditate on truth, your truth, your law as our delight. In Jesus’ name, we pray all this according to Psalm 119, verse 92. Amen.