PSALM 119:89-96 LAMED

Here we have a man who believes and is fully-convinced in the absolute

power and authority of God. He is surrounded by enemies and opposition
in all its various forms but he is convinced that God has control over
absolutely all of His creation and everything within what He has created.

As Christians, who believe in the God of the Bible, we are privileged to
enjoy a confidence that cannot be understood by the unsaved. It is what
the Bible describes as a mystery. Paul wrote, I Cor. 2:7 But we speak the
wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained
before the world unto our glory. It is a knowledge that comes to Gods
believing people from His Word, Col. 1:26 Even the mystery which hath
been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.

What causes you to understand the glories of salvation in Christ is the
revealing activity of the Holy Spirit. It is a mystery to those who are
dead in trespasses and in sin spiritually dead. We can only understand it
when God opens up our minds to understand.

Dont you marvel at some of the greatest minds and yet they are
incapable of believing in our God?

Albert Einstein, I do not believe in a personal God and I have never
denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can
be called religion then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of
the world so far as our science can reveal it.

Ernest Hemingway, All thinking men are atheists.

Bertrand Russell, Religion is based . . . mainly on fear . . . fear of the
mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and
therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand.
... I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to
the human race.

Voltaire, Every sensible man, every honourable man, must hold the
Christian sect in horror. Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most
absurd religion that has ever infected the world.

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Karl Marx, Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the feeling of
a heartless world ... It is the opium of the people.

What evidence can they give that there is not a God? They point to
science and to rock formations and to the animal world and they make
calculations based upon nothing more than their own theories but
the most surprising thing is that these eminently clever people become
convinced of their flatulent hypotheses!

To my mind, it is more difficult to believe in their theories, - evolution,
and all the rest of it, - than it is to believe that Gen. 1:1 In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth.

THE CREATOR GOD
The psalmist believed in and the Bible clearly affirms the Creator
God. There is no room left for any theory or any supposition.
To deny that God is the creator is to tear from our Bibles many, many
pages and to call God Himself a liar.
The Bible is uncompromising, unambivalent, absolutely adamant and
totally inflexible that God is the Creator of all the heavens and the earth.
Moses preached that God is the Creator, Deut. 4:32 For ask now of the
days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man
upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there
hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?
The psalmist too, 148: 2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his
hosts. 3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise
him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5 Let them
praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
Sometimes I hear Christians trying to harmonise creationism and
evolution, - they try to believe in both but it cannot be done. They are
mutually exclusive It is either one or the other. And then some try to tell
you, Yes, God began the creating process but over time various animals
have evolved.
No! The tiniest littlest individual creature has a heart, a mind, a body
created out of nothing and created all of God.
When the scientist sets out to create within the whole embryonic
stem cell research he is not starting from nothing as God started; the
scientist can never completely strip away at cells, so he is always starting
within a structure that already has been created.
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Praise God for those scientists who recognise this and who are
faithful to the Scriptures that recognise God as the only Creator.
The Almighty Sovereign God declared, Is. 45:12 I have made the earth,
and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and
all their host have I commanded.
J esus spoke about Mk. 13:19 the creation which God created.
Paul also, Col. 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for
him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
The citizens of Heaven believe it, Rev. 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy
pleasure they are and were created.
I could direct you to some excellent creationist material because I am
not a scientist, - I cannot argue the technical details but I dont need to.
My responsibility as a believer in God is to believe what His Word
teaches me and to accept it as the final Arbiter.
Do you know that before the scientists proved the world was round,
Gods Word had already declared, Is. 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle
of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out
the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.
Gods Word says He created all things, and in Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your
eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their
host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for
that he is strong in power; not one faileth. 27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and
speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed
over from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the
everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
And believer, He is your God, Is. 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that
created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and
that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and
spirit to them that walk therein: 6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness,
and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the
people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the
prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 8
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither
my praise to graven images.
And we are not just talking about something ethereal here, our
understanding of Who created the world has consequences in our saving
faith; God said, Is. 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O
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Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I
have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the
flame kindle upon thee. 5 Fear not: for I am with thee: 7 Even every one that
is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him;
yea, I have made him.
The same God that created the world and all the universes and
everything that man has not yet discovered, - God created them all and
the joy and confidence of the psalmist rested completely in Him, Ps.
119:90 Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
If God was not in control the seas and the oceans would overflow the
land, the stars and planets would crash into each other, the various
chemicals the earth produces would pollute beyond our wildest
imaginations. If God was not in control the earth could no longer exist.
The psalmist tells us, v.91 They continue this day according to thine
ordinances: for all are thy servants. He is the Creator God.

THE CARING GOD
Once again, the psalmist mentions his afflictions (v.92) and the
wicked who are out to destroy him (v.95) And, once again, he shows
his confidence and wholehearted trust in the Lord.
From the opening verses of this longest of chapters in the Bible he
has never deserted his post. He has never changed his mind or stopped
believing in God as His Sovereign Saviour.
Yes, J ehovah is the Creator God Who created the countless stars
and the worlds in all their magnificence and the psalmist also knew
Him as the caring God.
He trusted in the ways of God, - v.92 Unless thy law had been my
delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction v.93 thou hast
quickened me. 94 I am thine.
J ust consider for a moment our caring God. His care is a part of His
Personality. His care is like Himself, it is infinite. You cannot measure it,
you cannot constrain it within manmade confines. It is unchangeable.
You cannot improve upon it!
His care is so great and it is so undeserved. We have no automatic
right to it; there is nothing about us that says God should care for us.
His care for us is all totally of His grace, - the delights (v.92), the
precepts and the quickening (v.93), the testimonies to His goodness
(v.95) are all undeserved and unmerited.
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Nothing is a barrier to how He cares for His people. When the
disciples were in the boat on the Sea of Galilee and the storm arose and
J esus was sleeping, they wakened Him and He stood in the face of the
storm and said to the wind and the sea, be still (Mk.4:39).
He is the same God Who says in the midst of our fear, when Ps. 46:2
the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea and the wild waves are
roaring and the mountains are shaking He is the same God Who says,
v.10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will
be exalted in the earth.
When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were facing the furnace,
they told the king, Dan. 3:17 our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from
the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand.
You see, I Pet. 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
The care and the love God has for you will never be exhausted, it will
never dry up or run out.
It is as fresh and full and free as ever. It is unfailing, it will never
desert you or leave you.
It will be with you during the times of doubt and fear. It will be with
you during the times of uncertainty and temptation. It will prevent you
from sinking.
But, David, I would love to believe what you say but I feel as if God
is nowhere near me at the moment and Im all on my own. Is that how
you feel? Well, child of God, you are never on your own It is an
impossibility, for the same God Who made the heavens and the earth
careth for you, and He promised never to leave you or forsake you and
the Bible tells us it is impossible for God to lie! (Heb. 6:18)
So believe that and hang on to it! God promises you in His Word, Is.
65:24 before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
He challenges you in love and in grace, Jer. 33:3 Call unto me, and I will
answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
He is the Creator God, the Caring God and our confidence is in
Him also because He is

THE UNCHANGING GOD
The opening words of this section are, v.89 For ever.
How long has God been in existence? For ever. How long has God
been holy? For ever. How long has God been sovereign? For ever.
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Our God has always been. He has never grown any older. He has
never needed to mature. Our God has always been and He has never been
anything less than absolute perfection For ever.
Swift to its close ebbs out lifes little day; Earths joys grow dim; its
glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who
changest not, abide with me.
He loves me as much today as He loved me when His Son died for
me on Calvary to take away my sin, for He loved me then as much as He
loved me when He chose me in eternity.
Our God never changes, - that which is perfect never needs change.
He never needs to be updated or reinvented, - the psalmist found that
He met all His needs, Thy faithfulness is unto all generations.
You and I can go hot and cold, up and down; some days we are on
the mountaintop, some days we are in the valley but our God is
unchanging, He is always the same.
He can see round the corner for He put the corner there. He can
see what is over the next hill for He made it too. Nothing can be
hidden from Him.
You see, this is what it means when you speak about trusting in the
sovereignty of God. The Bible knows nothing of a God who makes it up
as He goes along or Who reacts to outside forces.
Our God is the absolute power in absolute control of all things and
over all circumstances even the very worst. Sometimes He allows
them, sometimes He even instigates them.
We cant always understand His will or His ways but Deut. 32:4 He
is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and
without iniquity, just and right is he Hab. 3:6 He stood, and measured the
earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains
were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.
All to His Glory, He is the Creator God, the Caring God and the
Unchanging God.

Conclusion
Believer, this is the God of the psalmist and this is our God too.
This is the God in Whom you placed your faith when the Holy Spirit
entered into your heart.
What a privilege to know Him personally and to have Him with you
every moment of every day.
When you sometimes feel He has deserted you, ask Him for His
forgiveness that you doubted His Word.
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He loves you and look at all He has done for you and see that
nothing this world can throw at you will separate Him from you or you
from Him, Rom. 8: 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If you are not yet saved all this talk about knowing God, - the
great Creator of all things, - is hard for you to understand and to catch
hold of.
Dont wrestle with it any longer, - it is away beyond any of our
understanding but He sent J esus to the cross of Calvary to take away
the penalty of sin that ought to have been unleashed against me and now I
can understand all I need to understand that this Creator God, Who gave
His Son for me, is also the Caring God.
And He will never change His mind either, - He is the Unchanging
God, - He is my Saviour today, and He will never stop being my Saviour.
Some day He is coming back again and He is going to take me home
to Heaven. If you are not saved, He is the only Saviour I lovingly
recommend to you. As the psalmist says, v.96 He is all perfection.