Devotional: Life in the Midst of Affliction

 

Psalm 119:50

“This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life.”

 

Context & Insight

 

Psalm 119 is a testimony of deep love for the Word of God, written not from comfort—but from conflict. The psalmist is not denying affliction; he is confessing where his comfort is found within it.

 

Notice what he does not say:

 

• He does not say affliction disappeared 
• He does not say circumstances improved 
• He does not say people changed 

 

Instead, he says God’s Word gave him life while the affliction remained.

 

Affliction has a way of draining us—emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Yet the psalmist declares that Scripture did what circumstances could not: it revived him.

 

This is not poetic exaggeration. It is spiritual reality.

 

Scripture Interprets Scripture

 

Romans 15:4

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

 

Paul confirms what the psalmist experienced firsthand:
Scripture was written to sustain believers in suffering.

 

God did not give us His Word merely to inform us—but to comfort us, strengthen us, and anchor our hope when life presses in.

 

The Word does not always remove affliction.
But it always provides what affliction cannot take away:

 

• Perspective 
• Endurance 
• Hope 
• Life 

 

Devotional Reflection

 

If you are in a season of affliction, this verse is not a command—it is an invitation.

 

You may not be able to control your circumstances, but you can choose where you seek comfort. And Scripture promises something no earthly solution can guarantee:

 

Life for the weary soul.

 

God’s Word reminds us:

 

• This suffering is not eternal 
• God is not absent 
• His promises are unchanging 
• Hope is still alive 

 

Even when everything else feels fragile, the Word of God remains firm.

 

Encouragement

 

If you feel worn down, discouraged, or overwhelmed—open the Scriptures. Not to rush through them, but to let them speak life into you.

 

The same Word that comforted the psalmist
The same Word that strengthened believers throughout history
Is the same Word God uses today to give you life.

 

Your affliction may be real—but so is your comfort in Christ.