“Trouble and Anguish have come upon me, but Your commands give me delight.”-{Psalm 119:143}

Trouble and Anquish were real but they Could Not QUENCH The Power of God’s Word to Delight him!

The word “Delight,” comes from a word {Sha’a} that means, “enjoyment, delight, pleasure… That which gives great pleasure, satisfaction, and joy!” Such is the Power of God’s Word!

  • The word “Troubles” speaks of afflictions of any kind, while the word “anguish” speaks of being confined, in a narrow place, distress.
  • The Greek translation of the Hebrew text “…adds the nuance that when we are in distress, we should delight in God’s Word, meditating upon it, giving it our full attention. That’s Jehovah Rapha’s prescription for trouble, anguish and distress!”-{Preceptaustin.}

You personally have known troubles and anguish of heart and you may be there presently, the evil one tempts you to turn aside from God’s Word, for he knows in it God meets His children, for His Word is living and actively able to meet the need of your mind and heart, strengthening you in times of troubles and stress, And yes, even imparting pleasure, enjoyment, delight, joy!

And you may need to start off and acknowledge the reality “Trouble and anguish have come upon me…” and that is where the evil one would have us stop! “BUT GOD….” bids us come to Him, His Word, He can recall it to our mind from times we have heard it, or hid it in our hearts and He would remind us and have us know, troubles and anguish are real, painful, “BUT GOD…”- “…BUT Your commands give me delight.” There is a “BUT”... in the verse, yes “Trouble” and Anguish” is real “BUT”… we move on and finish the sentence “But YOUR Commands GIVE ME DELIGHT, enjoyment, pleasure.” As was the Psalmist’s experience and testimony so too it can be again for you and me! Be encouraged!

Think of it, often our idea, concept, and habit of thinking is that there has to be an absence of trouble and stress in order for “Delight in God’s Word ” to be present and reality in order to have preeminence in our lives. “But God…” shows that troubles and anguish cannot quench His gift of delight, pleasure, and enjoyment from it to us. For who can stop Him from “Gifting” it to you?

George Mueller used to say he would read his Bible until he got his soul happy in the LORD!

The Holy Spirit, who is and imparts Joy-{Gal 5:22} will impart Joy to your soul.

The Psalmist in 1:1-2 says “Blessed is the man…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night.” He was constantly bringing his thoughts back to meditate on His Word and the more he DELIGHTED in it the more he MEDITATED in it and the more he MEDITATED the more he DELIGHTED in it, because of Whose Word it was- GOD’S!

Ask Him to Gift you Delight in and from His Word! For His Word reveals God whose Word it is, His will, ways. Get in His Word, expose yourself to it, ask Him to remind you of it and He will bring to mind what you have put in at an earlier time.

Note again, it says, “…YOUR commands,”- His Word, does something. What is that? “…GIVES me.” That is His Gift of grace to the Psalmist – not the “gift” of discouragement but “…DELIGHT. PLEASURE, ENJOYMENT, SATISFACTION” through the means of His Word. God gives this.

Don’t seek an experience but seek the LORD, Look for Him as you read. What does the book, chapter, passage, and verse say about Him, His character, Will, Ways! And as you seek Him and stay in His Word, through hearing, listening, reading, meditating, and applying it, the Spirit of God who is the source of Joy will satisfy you and cause your heart to delight – Even in the midst of…Trouble and Anguish!

  • In my own life, there have been seasons due to severe pain from my muscle disease, and little sleep for months and months when I would ask Him to please bring to remembrance His Word, and sure enough a verse would come to mind and nourish my soul as I thought on the verse word for word, phrase for phrase, over several days just in one verse, meeting me in the area of my need. When reading was hard He would bring to my mind His Word.

It was in the hard place for the Psalmist where he experienced the reality of God’s provision for him through His Word as have you in the past and will again.

There is no word like God’s Word, that can bring delight to you in times of trouble and anguish! There is always a “But God…” amidst times of sorrow, troubles, and anguish!

“…when we are in distress, we should delight in God’s Word, meditating upon it, giving it our full attention. That’s Jehovah Rapha’s prescription for trouble, anguish and distress!”-{Preceptaustin.}

  • This is a good verse to read, re-read think on, again and again, hide in your heart, and pray it …and be ready to SHARE it and Explain it to HELP OTHERS.

“Trouble and distress have come upon me, but YOUR commands give me delight.”-{Psalm 119:143}

God Bless,

Aidan,