Psalm 119:31 – Holding God’s Testimonies

I have held tightly to your testimonies;
Don’t let me be put to shame.

It’s quite possible to translate the second half of this verse as “don’t put me to shame.”

Have you ever felt that God was calling on you to take a certain stand, or act in a certain way, and you hope you’re right? Have you considered the prayer offered here? “Don’t leaving me hanging, Lord! I’m doing your work. I need you to make things work out here.”

It’s easy to cover up my own concerns with concerns for God’s reputation. “Lord, if I do this and you don’t back me up, people will think You are not faithful!” But behind that are the more human thoughts. “If I step out in faith and God doesn’t perform a miracle, I’m going to look like at idiot.” Or simply, “If I take that particular moral stand, people are going to despise me.”

Sticking with God’s plan can be unpleasant. Just look at the apostles. Being an apostle was not a life-choice conducive to longevity. The path of God’s instructions may not be easy. You don’t need to go that far back. Today, as I write, I know people who face persecution for the stand they take for their faith.

And don’t imagine that all these problems come from non-Christians. You may be asked to take a stand in your own church, against those who should be your friends, supporters, and prayer partners. “Don’t let me be put to shame, Lord!”

You’ll also find those whose claim to cling to God’s testimonies is just a pretense. Very likely you’ll be tempted along the same lines. There’s always a good cause, or a cause that appears to be good, and the temptation will be to jump on the bandwagon while claiming that you’re clinging to God’s testimonies. Don’t tell me that you don’t care about the opinion of other people in your church, or those from that “more successful” church down the road with more members.

And then there’s the simple fact that no matter how hard you cling, sometimes you’re going to be wrong. Sometimes you’re going to be quite when you should speak, or you’re going to speak when you should be quiet. Probably lots of times, if you’re honest.

It’s a very human prayer: “Lord I’m doing all I can, help me out. Don’t let me look like a fool. Don’t let me look like a hypocrite.”

Then it’s time to remember that as God’s child, it all belongs to God. Your successes and failures both! The next breath, the next step, is in God’s hands.

(Featured image from Adobe Stock. Not public domain.)