Psalm 119:41 "Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise”

In verse 40 we see David crying out to the Lord for his teachings saying, “I long for your precepts” because he was keenly aware of his ignorance and his need for wisdom. And still, here, we see another example of what a humble man after God’s heart requires: forgiveness. David was acutely aware of his sin, so he pleads for God's steadfast love, desiring nothing more than to be favored by God as a dear child. 

In Hebrew, the words “steadfast love” are chesed, meaning goodness, kindness, or mercy. But here it is in the plural. What the ESV translates as “steadfast love” the King James translates as “mercies” and the NAS translates as “loving kindnesses.” In other words, David was not in need of one singular mercy, but he requested the multifaceted, diverse, and assorted mercies of God. He communicates what we often feel — that the help we need we could never adequately request, and that our prayers are often inept, and that we feel like we always need more, that we never have enough of Christ. He shows that there are myriad mercies of God that are fit for every problem we face, every pain we feel, and every slough we slog through. The mercies of God are comprehensive, and we ought to ask for them without any fear of exhausting our Father’s resources — he desires to give you all things.

But David does not seek these mercies out for others, but for himself only. No man can redeem another, we can only beseech the Lord on their behalf. But, we can certainly ensure that we are united to Christ — and this is exactly what we are encouraged to do, to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). And David dispels any theory of self-centeredness or pride we may think we are participating in, in desiring ourselves to be as near to God as possible whether the world be saved or not. 

And yet, we cannot miss the magnificent result of the mercies of God. David rightly puts God’s mercies before his salvation. He correctly puts the cause before the effect, acknowledging that there is no salvation of our souls, bodies, and ultimately of the world apart from the pure and divine mercies of God. But these mercies and this salvation are predicated upon the promise of a Savior, Jesus Christ, whom David knew and longed to see. You dear saint have seen Christ, and you know him! Praise God for his mercies, for his loving kindnesses for they all find their “yes” and “amen” in Christ. Rejoice!

S.D.G.