The Lord Upholds His Own

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The Lord Upholds His Own
by Philip Owen

Mature adults feel a proper sense of responsibility for the actions they take and the choices they make; they know that they will be held accountable for what they do with their lives. God holds men accountable as well, but He does not expect His children to make it on their own. In fact, contrary to some humanistic views, God wants His children to be utterly dependent upon Him, a truth the Word of God makes clear in many ways. We will briefly explore one example of this truth below as it relates to the biblical concept of upholding (meaning “to prop,” “to sustain”).

The Lord upholds. Twice in Psalm 37 we read that the Lord upholds His own. The psalm was written by David in his old age (v. 25) after having lived a long life as a child of God. The strength and physical courage that David displayed throughout his life are amply recorded in the Bible, so this psalm provides great encouragement to the weak that even men as strong as David relied on the upholding of the Lord and great exhortation to the strong that natural prowess is not sufficient to sustain a victorious spiritual life. “The Lord upholdeth the righteous,” David observes (v. 17) in contrast with the fact that “the arms of the wicked shall be broken.” Temporal success and prosperity are fleeting. It is those whom the Lord sustains, and those alone, who prosper spiritually and eternally. None knew better than David that the righteous may succumb to sin. But looking back over his life, he could affirm that “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand” (v. 24; see also 145:14).

The Spirit upholds. Nothing shakes the believer like personal sin and its consequences. It is a betrayal of all that we believe in, a denial of all we hold dear, and a rebellion against our loving Savior Himself. The believer knows that the Lord must chasten sin and that we reap what we sow. At the same time, the one who confesses and repents finds the same strengthening assurance that David discovered following his great sin with Bathsheba, namely, that the Lord will answer the repentant prayer: “uphold me with thy free spirit” (Psa. 51:12). It is not by means of some mechanical device that we are sustained nor even by some cold, external fiat. Rather, it is by the very personal Presence of the Spirit of God. And for New Testament believers that Presence is the indwelling Person of the Holy Spirit. The holy, sanctifying Presence of God cleanses, forgives, strengthens, comforts, encourages, and restores the repentant believer. In the Person of the indwelling Spirit, God Himself is directly and personally engaged in making right the heart and life of the one who turns from sin.

The Word upholds. “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live,” the psalmist prays (Psa. 119:116). His request suggests two truths. First, we may take hope in the realization that the Word promises that God will sustain believers: He does not expect us to be victorious or to serve Him in our own strength. Second, He has given us His Word as a tool to be used to sustain us. Reading, believing, obeying, and meditating on the Word of God impart strength to God’s children. The Word of God is living, and God imparts His strength to those who are “people of the book.” The words of philosophers and psychologists may provide some sort of temporary comfort. But the Word of God imparts real, vital life and strength. The prophet Jeremiah testified: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16). The world around us may shake, even fall. But believers are upheld by the Lord.

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The Lord Upholds His Own by Philip Owen

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The Lord Upholds His Own
by Philip Owen