The Challenges Of Being A Servant Of The Lord

by Pastor Mark
October 06, 2022

 

The struggles of a servant of the Lord

The Psalmist who wrote Psalm 119 recognised his lack of knowledge and sought to pursue more understanding. He saw his sinfulness and sought the cleansing of the Lord. Then, there came a desire to be a servant of the Lord. But the Psalmist realised that being a servant of the Lord was far more challenging than he had anticipated. He found himself greatly struggling with all the difficulties and problems he encountered, and his approaches to the Lord and His Word were adversely affected. In Psalm 119:121, we find the Psalmist struggling again in prayer.

1. Prayer for the Lord’s protection from enemies

  1. They continued to be his oppressors (Psalm 119:121).
  2. He prayed for the Lord not to leave him to their oppression.

2. Wrong approaches in searching for answers

  1. In seeking answers from the Scriptures (Psalm 119:123)
    1. He sought to use the Scriptures to help him out of his problems.
    2. Though his eyes failed (a hyperbole)…his search yielded no answer.
    3. This is considered a wrong approach to studying the Scriptures.
  2. Pleading for the Lord to act (Psalm 119:126)
    1. The enemies had made void the Word of God.
    2. The Psalmist felt that it was time for the Lord to act.
    3. iii. Instead of waiting on the Lord patiently, he was telling Him what to do.
    4. This is not what a servant should do in approaching God.

Learning to meet the challenges of being a servant of the Lord

1. Praying to God as “surety”

“Be surety for Your servant for good;” (Psalm 119:122)

  1. God, as “surety”, would be the guarantor of the Psalmist.
  2. The Psalmist was uncertain about things in his life.
  3. He needed to feel assured that God would, in reality, be there for him.
  4. Hence, this prayer for God to be his surety.
  5. God would be his “surety” and back up His servant no matter what.

2. A plea for the Lord’s mercy

“Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy, and teach me Your statutes.” (Psalm 119:124)

  1. The Psalmist realised that this is how he should have been praying.
  2. He must learn to have appropriate humility… especially since­­­­­­­­ he was a servant of God.
  3. When God does not reply, there are needed lessons to be learnt as a servant of God.
  4. One must continually seek the Lord’s mercy rather than tell Him what to do.

3. Growing as a servant of the Lord

  1. He acknowledged that he was a servant of the Lord…“I am Your servant” (Psalm 119:125).
  2. But he realised, in his struggles, he still needed to learn more about being a servant.
  3. He was still lacking wisdom and pleaded for more understanding (Psalm 119:125).
  4. He humbly sought to learn more a­­­s he still had a long way to go as a servant of the Lord.

While we will continue to struggle as a servant of the Lord, let us be challenged to look to the Lord for His assurance and mercy, and to learn more deeply from Him.

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