“You have dealt well with your servant,
O Lord, according to your word.” Psalm 119.65
This verse introduces us to a new stanza of the psalm, one that will extol the goodness of the Lord through his Scripture. He begins by singing praises of the Lord for how well God has dealt with him.
If we think about it, we all should easily find reasons to sing of how well God has dealt with us—how he has graciously and richly poured out his blessings upon us. Sadly, our tendency far too often is to grumble and complain , rather than to recognize God’s goodness and sing forth his praises. Oh that we’d be quick to repent of this tendency and fall on our faces in praise.
You’ll notice as we work through the remainder of the stanza that the psalmist is not singing these praises because his life is free from adversity. Rather, he sees God’s goodness in the midst of his adversity. This serves as a great encouragement to us.
You’ll also notice in the second half of this verse that he ties his understanding of God’s goodness with how God deals with him according to his Word. The very way that he knows goodness, in general, and God’s goodness, in particular, is by knowing how it aligns with Scripture. We too can rejoice in God’s grace, knowing that he will always deal with us according to his Word.
In what ways is your life characterized by grumbling and complaining? How do you express your thankfulness to God for his goodness, his kind dealings with you?
Heavenly Father, your grace abounds. Thank you, dear Lord, for dealing with us according to your Word. May our hearts ever sing forth your praise. Amen.