God’s people faced trying times in the day when Psalm 94 was written. In this song of discipline and deliverance, those who oppressed the faithful were known for their pride, as well as their wickedness. They were evildoers who killed even widows and orphans.
These dreadful circumstances undoubtedly served as fertile soil for anxiety to grow.
As the psalmist presented his pleas to God on behalf of the oppressed, he testified of his confidence in the Lord. And he mentioned how he responded to the many cares of his heart:
When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul (Psalm 94:19).
Another translation puts it this way:
In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul (Psalm 94:19, NKJV).
While you and I might not be facing the level of difficulties those Old Testament saints did, we do have very real struggles that often produce an anxious heart.
Notice where the psalmist found hope when he was dealing with a multitude of anxieties. He looked to the delight-producing consolations of God.
When we are anxious, there is the temptation to dwell on the problem that’s causing the anxiety. To drop anchor there. But the psalmist didn’t do that. Instead, he turned to the consolations of God. Remembering who the Lord is often consoles our troubled heart.
What an example the psalmist is to us, especially considering his words are inspired by God. We can be certain that God meant for us to hear the testimony of this man who wrote Psalm 94. Not only hear his testimony but apply how he dealt with anxiety to our situation.
The consolations or comforts of God can be found in a variety of places. Some rest in our memory ready to speak to us about the Lord’s past kindnesses to us. You’re likely to hear them in your faithful pastor’s sermon this Sunday, a wise friend’s counsel over a cup of coffee, or in the pages of a God-centered book. You might consider Knowing God by J.I. Packer.
But of course, the very best and most reliable resource for the comforts of God is the Bible.
With some effort on our part and the Holy Spirit’s assistance, we will find much comfort in the pages of Scripture. Anxiety-lessening views of God await us there. We see who He is, who we are in relation to Him, and the countless benefits that come from knowing such a God.
By His grace, we find comfort as we take long looks at the Lord as He is revealed in the Bible. Some call those long looks “meditation,” something that great man of faith George Müller knew to be important.
We know George Müller as the director of the Bristol, England orphanage that was home to thousands of boys and girls. He was a man of prayer who trusted God to provide for all his needs.
In his autobiography, Müller wrote:
“It often astonishes me that I did not see the importance of meditation upon Scripture earlier in my Christian life. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time unless he eats, so it is with the inner man. What is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the Word of God – not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe. No, we must consider what we read, ponder over it, and apply it to our hearts.”
If you have an anxious heart today, I encourage you to determine to regularly spend time in the Bible meditating on the comforts of God. Your soul needs that.
May you experience what the psalmist experienced as he wisely dealt with the cares of life.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You (Psalm 33:20-22).
