If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.
— PSALM 119:92 —
Davide Barbieri: Italian Theological Academy | Italy
There are multiple ways to die. Clinical death occurs when our heart stops beating. But there is another kind of death that comes even while all of our vital functions may be normal. There is a death to the soul that happens when all hope ceases to exist. It can afflict a person through any of life’s adversities, such as disease, tragedy, and loss. It oppresses when the hope of a better tomorrow grows dim. It strikes when our transient and fleeting plans suddenly shipwreck and everything seems lost. How do you face moments like that? Healing is found in the word of God. It is based on the solutions that God gives to the problems we face. In what do you place your hope and where do you find your comfort? How do you heal? Just as there are multiple ways to die, there are multiple ways to heal. There is temporary healing, in which the pain is slowly dulled through new goals in life or through pharmaceutical remedies. This is only effective until the next affliction comes, and then the darkness falls again. But there is another kind of healing, too, which is deeper, internal, more effective, and lasting. This healing is found in the word of God. It is based on the solutions that God gives to the problems we face. The psalmist here recognizes that his only hope is anchored in the joy and comfort of God’s word. If the word had not been his delight, his soul would have plunged into despair. But the word has the power to give life to those who place their delight and hope in it. Are you preparing for life’s storms by delighting in God’s word?
