Exceedingly Afflicted

You probably saw the title of this post and were tempted to skip it!  Go ahead and admit it!  You're probably thinking......"good grief!  Didn't we deal with affliction yesterday?  Do we have to talk about it again?"  And the short answer to the question is yes.  We do have to deal with it because the psalmist deals with it, and if we are going to accurately handle this portion of the Word then we can't skip over the parts we don't like!  So, we press on!!

We're moving today into a new segment of Psalm 119.  The next four stanzas (kaph, lamedh, mem and nun) are where we will turn our attention today.  We saw the psalmist's affliction in the previous two stanzas.  Beginning in kaph, there is an even deeper sense of his affliction.....almost a sense of desperation or despair.  That's one of the things I want you to be looking for as we read the Scripture today.

Take some time today to read these four stanzas (Psalm 119:81-112) and make your initial observations.  As usual, note the synonyms that are used for God's Word.  Watch for time phrases.  If you are using your colored pencils, you might want to mark those time phrases with a little clock symbol or mark them in some other distinct way.  Note any questions you might have as you read these verses, any words or phrases you might want to investigate further.  As you read, be aware of (and perhaps mark in a distinct way) what the psalmist is asking God for.  Also note any statements of trust or praise.  Be sure to watch for words or phrases that show us the psalmist's attitude toward his affliction.....you might think of this as the psalmist's emotional state or the "mood" of the stanzas.

Finish your study time today by giving some thought to what you have learned from this Psalm as we have been studying.  Has your thinking or your behavior been affected by what you have learned?  Are there areas where God has been speaking to you?  Are there attitudes and behaviors that need changing?  Think about that today, and we'll dig deeper into these verses tomorrow.

"I am exceedingly afflicted; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word." (Psalm 119;107)