Stanza seven, along with the stanzas immediately before and after it, carry a singular focus to them, understanding who God is by a careful study of his Word. In these verses, the particular focus is that of God’s comfort during times of suffering. You can see it in Psalm 119:49-52:

The idea of comfort is prevalent in this passage, with the word “comfort” being mentioned twice, in verses 50 and 52, and the phrase “you have given me hope,” which also conveys the idea of comfort, found in verse 51.

It’s interesting to note that while the whole stanza is focused on the psalmist’s need for comfort, his only prayer in this passage is one for hope. He seems to immediately understand that the comfort that God can bring is only to be found in the hope that God offers. The comfort he seeks is not a specific request for his suffering to be removed; it is more of a request to be reassured that God’s promises never fail.

That’s an interesting perspective that we need to keep in mind in the present day. We often ask for God to remove those things which cause pain and suffering, and to be sure, he does do that, but it is more in line with Scripture to seek God’s presence and reassurance during such times than to seek to have them removed from our lives. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting that we seek out suffering, I’m only suggesting that our views of it may be limited and flawed.

The rest of this stanza is one of confident trust, both in this first half, and the latter half, which we will look at more next week. The psalmist knows where his hope can be found. It can be found in the Word of God, and he will continue to love it, and to read it, and to obey it. This seems to be a reminder of the writer to himself that suffering is a very common part of the human life, and we cannot avoid it. The psalmist’s perspective is not to seek escape from suffering, but to continue to trust God and take heart in the hope that he offers us. Only God, and primarily through his Word, can be the source of comfort that we need in such times. Our only recourse is to trust him.

But even though God’s comfort is a prominent theme in this stanza, it’s not the primary one. The main thrust of this passage can be seen in the word “remember.” It is found three times in this stanza, twice in this passage and again in verse 55. The first time we see this word, the writer is imploring God to remember his of promise, which he knows will bring comfort in his suffering.

In the next two instances, he commits to remember God’s ancient laws, and God’s name. In other words, because God remembers his promises to us, we need to remember him during our darkest hours, and in our brightest, meditating upon God’s Word and upon his character, using such times to draw ourselves closer to to him, and getting to know him better.

In light of that, perhaps we need to rethink our perspective on suffering. There are deeper purposes for such times than we may ever realize. And we can use them as a catalyst to deepen our understanding of and our relationship with our Father.

Question: Do you embrace suffering as an opportunity or seek to find ways to remove it from your life? Which is more in line with this passage? Do you need to rethink your understanding of suffering and God’s comfort? You can leave a comment by clicking here.