Plead my
cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise.
Psalm 119 in its entirety is subtitled, "The Glories of God's
Law." Law is definitely a major theme here: commandments, decrees, laws,
statutes, justice, all are words used often throughout the Psalm. It speaks of God's
law bringing people closer to him. When we obey his laws, we will be
"saved."
The second theme is salvation. The Psalm writer pleads for help,
redemption, life and rescue. He is seeking to be assured of his salvation.
Aren't we all?
This morning I was worshipping at the Chapel by the Sea on South Padre
Island. The minister spoke about this subject. He told the story of a sea
captain who never lost a battle. Before the battle began he would go to his cabin,
pull a piece of paper from his desk, study it, replace it, and go to battle. His
ensign pondered what could be written on that paper. He knew it was the secret to
the Captain’s success. The ensign snuck in one day, pulled the paper from the
desk, and read, "Port is left and Starboard is right." The basics.
The preacher said there are three different types of people when it
comes to salvation. The first group know in their hearts they have been
saved. The second group believes they can never be saved. The last group, and I
personally believe this to be the largest one, know in their heads they have been
forgiven, but not in their hearts. In order for our hearts to understand salvation,
we must go back to the basics. The basics are the laws, the decrees, the
commandments, the promises.
The big promise: Jesus is our Lord and Savior. The biggest:
God gave his one and only Son so that we who believe in him should have eternal
life. Those are the basics. We must get back to them every day. Every day is
where we fight our battles.
