Scripture to Meditate On

Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared. Psalm 119.38

The psalmist is making a simple request. He wants to know, to really know, that God has made a promise to him. This is more than being able to read it in the Scriptures. This is about being able to embrace it with the whole heart. He wants to enjoy the certainty that the Spirit can give when it comes to God's promises to His people. He wants to really know the certainty of the promise so that he can live it out.

That makes sense. But what is at least a bit surprising is the reason for this request, the motivation behind it. He wants his God to be feared. He wants to be in absolute awe of his God to the point of becoming overwhelmed. 'Who is this God who does such things?!?' But we should not limit who is to feel this fear. I think we can also say that the psalmist wants those around him also to be in fear of this God. He wants that for his fellow believers who worship the same God and he wants that for the wicked who ignore Him. And that will happen as all of these people see his bold living in a fallen world based on the promises of God.