Daily Devotionals

Discovering Christ Day by Day

Devotional: June 29th

Today’s Reading: Psalms 119

“Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord!”

Psalms 119:65

I could never find better words to sum up my life’s experience than these. God my Savior has dealt well with me. What an awesome thought! All the days of my life, my God has dealt well with me. All the days of my life, the Angel of the Lord has pitched his tent around me and dealt well with me (Psalms 34:7). The word David uses for “well” is one of those magnificent little words that is bursting with meaning. It means “most favorably, most kindly, most graciously, most lovingly, most pleasurably, most sweetly, most prosperously, most finely, most joyfully, and most merrily.” Particularly, since he saved me by his grace, my God has dealt well with me as his servant. Of course, he has dealt with me as his son, as his spouse, and as his friend. But, like David, I take particular delight in saying he has dealt well with me as his servant, in appointing me to be his servant, in calling me into his service, in providing every need of his servant, in protecting his servant, and in rewarding the labor of his servant. He has dealt well with me all the days of my life according to his Word: according to his word of predestination, his word of promise, his word of grace, and according to Christ his Word.

In Eternity

“Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord,” from eternity. When we think of all that our Savior did for us as our Surety in old eternity (if I can use such language), before the world was, our hearts gladly confess, “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord!” In the covenant of grace, when he took upon himself all responsibility for our souls, and espoused our cause as our great Surety, he dealt well with us. He drew nigh to God on our behalf. His delights were with us. His heart was upon us. He pledged himself to redeem and save us. He gave himself as the Lamb of God to redeem us. And the Father accepted us, blessed us with all spiritual blessings in him, trusting him as our Surety (Ephesians 1:3-7).

In Grace

Pause once more to reflect upon this fact, too. “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord,” in the mighty operations of your saving grace. You have forgiven all my sin and made me the very righteousness of God (Psalms 32:1-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21). You have preserved me in grace and kept me in faith in the midst of countless temptations and countless falls (Psalms 34:1-6; Psalms 116:1-7). Your love for my soul has proved and is continually proving itself immeasurable, infinite, and immutable (Ephesians 3:17-19; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:19). Truly, he loves this sinner “freely!”

In Providence

What a good God and Savior we have! — “I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” The Lord has dealt bountifully with us. He who gave us his darling Son has with him freely given us all things. He has given us his Spirit; and he conveys to us all spiritual blessings in Christ. Our God deals with us like a God. He lays open all his infinite fulness to us. “And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.” Is not your life a verification of this fact? Mine is. Truly, in all the affairs of providence, “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord!” And that which he has done, he is doing, and shall forever continue to do, until he has finished doing all that he purposed to do in eternity.

Then, we shall look back upon all things and say, “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord!” In that great day, when our mansions are prepared, our bodies raised from the dead, and we are perfectly conformed to his image in resurrection glory, when we hear him say, “Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” oh, with what rapture, gratitude, rejoicing, and love shall we shout, “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord!” In the light of these facts, can you imagine what must be awaiting us on the other side, in that land where there is no darkness, no weeping, no sorrow, no pain, and no sin in that blessed place called “Heaven,” where “former things are passed away”?