When I, You…
I, like a lot of people, have been watching the Winter Olympics. I am amazed at these athletes and the ability to stay on the edge of skis, blades, boards. You can see them anxiously awaiting their time to leave the start gate. The speed at which they are traveling is wild. Operating at great speed, on the edge, can of course like life and as we see in these Olympics, end in tragedy. But if upheld to the end it can result in great joy to the athletes, their families and the nation that they represent.
It reminds me of Psalm 94:18-19, When I said, “My foot is slipping,” Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolations delight my soul.
So I am no Biblical scholar and don’t know Latin or Greek (and those of you that know me may wonder about English from time to time) so I like to look up words in the dictionary. Now you may read the passage and think those words are not unusual or hard to understand but breaking them down may revel something about God’s character. So please bear with me through somewhat of an English lesson…
Notice the passage starts with confession. When I said, “My foot is slipping”. 1John 1:9 teaches “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Have you ever had someone try to help you when you really didn’t want it? It mostly ends up being frustrating for both parties. Ask so you can receive…
So we confess and God “Hold us up”. But notice He doesn’t hold us up with anger or condemnation or with His mighty hand. The passage says “Your Lovingkindness” holds me up. Lovingkindness, what is that? According to Webster’s, lovingkindness is tender and benevolent affection. Tender is “gentle, delicate, demanding careful and sensitive handling”. Benevolent is “organized for the purpose of doing good”. So with confession the Lord comes along gently and carefully handles us as not to injure us further. “A bruised reed He will not break” Isaiah 42:3.
V19: When anxious thoughts multiply within me…Anxious is characterized by extreme uneasiness of the mind or brooding fear about some contingency (an event that may but is not certain to occur), worried. Here is a good reason not to worry or be anxious for nothing. Worry comes from the latin anxius-akin to angere which is to strangle, distress more anger. I believe that is why David said the thoughts “multiply within me”. It is like being strangled by our thoughts. Multiply is to increase in number greatly or brood. Brood? You have heard of it, we say brood of vipers. Get the picture? Brood is hatched or cared for, to dwell gloomily on a subject. The picture is one of a bird covering it’s eggs to protect and incubate them. So are you incubating your anxious thoughts allowing them to multiply? All they will grow up to do is strangle you.
Finally the last part of v19…Your consolations delight my soul (or as NIV says, brought joy to my soul). Console is to alleviate grief, sense of loss or trouble. Console is also a contest held for those who have lost early in a tournament. Unlike the Olympics which is a one loss and you go home tournament or contest, the Lord brings along his ability to alleviate our sense of trouble with another round. He is not a “one loss and you are out” God. So go down the mountain first. If you fall down the Lord will “chairlift” you up for another try.
Confess your slipping to the Lord, His lovingkindness will hold you up and His additional contest will let you play the game time and time again so that you may have delight brought to your soul.
Matt's Anthology 