Infirmities are an inevitable part of life. Although saved, we’re not perfect spiritually. Even in our younger days we were not perfect physically. None of us can be 100% in control of our emotions either. We can get caught up in the fantasy world of Hollywood if we want, but remember they are just actors reading a script. That’s not the way it is in real life. We all have infirmities.
Psalm 77:1 “I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. 4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. 6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. 7 Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? 8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? 9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. 10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.”
Here the psalmist makes a big mistake. Things were going wrong, and he didn’t understand. He questioned the Lord as if HE had the infirmity. GOD HAS NO INFIRMITIES. We may be full of them, but just because we have them from time to time doesn’t give us the right to look at God and say “what’s wrong with you?” This insinuates that God can make a mistake. It’s important that we understand God does all things right, and eventually it will work all to our good. Realizing this doesn’t make things go away, but it helps us remember that God can do all things.
The psalmist didn’t hide his honesty. This kind of honesty has helped us out time and again. He said the infirmity was like puss running out of a sore. He began to ask questions. In verse 7 he asks if the Lord had cast him off. Things were bad, and he assumed God had cast him off. Then he asked if it was forever. Do we ask that? “Lord, how long?” God doesn’t cast us off like trash. He won’t cut us off forever because he hasn’t cut us off in the first place. Turn it around. We cast him off when we don’t believe him or obey him. We throw in the towel like God made a mistake. He then asked “will he be favorable no more?” The question is not will He be unfavorable. Life is unfavorable, but God still shows favor. Instead of focusing on the suffering, we should look around at the favor of God.
In verse 8 he asked if God had stopped showing mercy. We may get no mercy from other people, but God always shows mercy. It’s there 24/7. David assumed God had quit showing mercy and again asked if it was forever. It is a shame for us to even think we live without mercy. We’re in better shape than we think or feel. God is taking care of us. He is AND will take care of us.
The next question follows the same sequence. He assumed since something was wrong that God had failed in his promises. In verse 8 he said “doth his promise fail for evermore?” Even when something goes wrong, God’s promises are still good. He tried to say there was more wrong with God than there was with him. All the wrong is within us. He asked “hath God forgotten to be gracious?” In other words “has God forgotten how to be good to me?” Do we make statements to God that start with “you used to?” Look at the past. Even in our “good old days” things went wrong. Today is similar to what has always been. God hasn’t forgotten how to be good. The problem is that we don’t realize the good, and it’s there even in our infirmities. We should think about being better to God. Look at the Apostle Paul. The more Paul suffered, the more he praised God.
The next question was “hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?” We might say “why are you mad at me, God? Surely you are with all that’s going on.” When we use this kind of reasoning the devil pats us on the back. God always loves us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd; a good shepherd loves all the sheep. We might need to face the fact that we get mad at God. This is exactly what the devil wants. We need to ask forgiveness when we treat God this way.
All of a sudden, like he’d been slapped in the face, he said “Selah.” He paused. The infirmity was not what God was doing. The real infirmity was his attitude. How he acted was the problem. Instead of asking for the burdens and problems to go away, we should do as David did in verse 14. He said “Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.” He wanted forgiveness for short changing God. Above all, he didn’t want to lose the Lord. He wanted help to love and believe in God.
We need to do this too. If the way is hard, pray for the Lord to help you follow him until you get there. Once David’s infirmity of not believing in God was taken care of, everything else was all right. Is his infirmity yours? Our prayer should be “Lord, help me continue to believe in your fullness and unchangeableness.”
Remember nothing is wrong with God. Everything will be all right.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 