“If I say ‘my foot slips,’ Your mercy O Lord, will hold me up, 19. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.”
What does the psalmist mean by: “If I say ‘my foot slips’”? He is concerned that he might have a moral lapse of some kind, or do something stupid that might displease God. The way he states it, the psalmist would be aware that his foot had slipped. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit the same. We know right from wrong and we need to choose the right, but there are times when we choose the wrong and we stumble. What was his remedy? The first thing that the psalmist did was to appeal to the mercy of God. This did not mean that he took the mercy of God for granted, but that he knew that God would be merciful when he acknowledged that his “foot had slipped.” The first step to being forgiven for sin is to acknowledge that we have sinned. When we acknowledge that and ask God for forgiveness, we can depend on His mercy. Let me reiterate: We should not take the mercy of God for granted, but if we are sincerely repentant, we can know that God will be merciful. One of the greatest, and most remarkable traits of Holy God is that He is merciful. Think of how different things would be if He was not merciful. If that were the case, this life would indeed be bleak. We can see God’s mercy at work throughout the Bible, culminating in His sending His “only begotten Son” to save us from sin. The second thing that the psalmist pointed out was that God’s mercy would “hold me up.” In my mind, I picture a person drowning in sin, and in His great mercy, God holds the person up and keeps him or her from drowning. The reason for the world not drowning in sin today is because of the mercy of God. Sin is, and has always been prevalent in the world, but God’s mercy has kept the world afloat despite the sins of the world. This is not to say that everyone has been held up by the mercy of God, for there are people who are literally drowning sin in its various forms, but the mercy of God is available to those people as well. I know that I am glad that God’s mercy holds me up. I do not claim in a self-righteous way, but in a humble understanding that I stand in need of God’s mercy daily, and that I need to claim that mercy for myself. The same applies to you. The third thing that I noticed in this text was that despite his anxieties, caused by sin, the psalmist delighted in God’s “comforts” that delighted his soul. When I read this, I began to consider what the psalmist could possibly mean by God’s “comforts.” I have already referred to one of those comforts, i.e., the mercy of God that results in forgiveness. Unconfessed sin that is not repented of can indeed drag us under, but we can delight in the comfort of God’s forgiveness. The misery of sin does not have to discomfort us if we will do something about it. Another of those “comforts” is that when God forgives us, He cleanses us. It is a terrible thing to feel dirty. If the dirt is on the outside, it is easily cleaned off, but the “dirt” that is within caused by sin causes self-loathing and depression. We do not have to go through life feeling dirty, because God will comfort us with His forgiveness. If you feel “dirty” right now, you can be cleansed by God’s forgiveness through the blood of Christ. The next “comfort” that comes to my mind is to be in good relationship and fellowship with God. It is good to feel that there is nothing uncomfortable between ourselves and God. We can thank God that, though we will never be perfect, we can have a good relationship with Him because of His mercy and forgiveness. When your foot slips, thank God for His mercy and lean on Him for forgiveness. You have the promise of the Bible that God will forgive and cleanse you. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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