plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise! [psalm 119:154]
once again, we go back to the beauty of the promises of God. we have three requests here. plead my cause, redeem me, give me life.
plead my cause– what is my cause and why would God be obliged to plead it? because as a child of God, by the blood of Jesus, we have been given a new cause, and it mirrors God’s own cause. his glory. when we are living out our new purpose in Christ, and our mission is in step with the mission of the Spirit of God, he promises not to let our cause fail, because he never lets his own cause fail. he always brings about his own glory! because of this, we can confidently make this request.
and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [romans 8:28]
redeem me– what is redemption and why do we need it? webster defines it as “the act of making something better or more acceptable,” or “the act of saving people from sin and evil.” as the psalmist is making distinctions between himself and the wicked oppressors who surround him, he needs all of these aspects of redemption. deliverance from his evil oppressors, saving him from their evil, and then making him acceptable to God by the removal of his own sin. and isn’t this exactly what we need as well! deliverance from our enemy, satan, and his constant temptation and lies, removal of our record of wrong that stands between us and our Creator, and to be made right before him, redeemed. and brothers and sisters, we are redeemed! by the blood of the Lamb we are redeemed.
in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. [ephesians 1:7-10]
give me life– what is life? are we not already breathing? life in this sense is so short sighted. this man is asking for the glory of God himself. this is life. sometimes described as light, as water, as breath, as sight. it is God’s essence, his word, his way, his nearness, his presence. his very glory living and active in our new heart of flesh. we who are loved, called, drawn, brought to life, given eyes to see the glory of God and a heart to love it, sealed in the blood of Christ by the Holy Spirit, to be kept and never lost, and ultimately brought into the joyous perfection of God’s presence for all of eternity. these are sure and steadfast promises of God that will not fail!
for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. and those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. [romans 8:29-30]
we can and should cry out to God for the fulfillment of the promises he has given to his children. cry out with confidence, humility, and great expectation. God’s glory will not be thwarted, and all things will bring it about in the end. so trust him. trust in his cause. trust in his promises. our sovereign God sees you, knows you, and loves you. and he proved it by sending his Son to die so that you might live in his presence.
let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [hebrews 4:16]
~arwen eastman