Psalms 116:10 “I had faith when I said, ‘I am severely oppressed.’”
The faith the Psalmist expresses here is not some blind hope of something; rather, it is a firm intellectual understanding of God. This word faith is ultimately about reliability, trustworthiness, and security. In contrast to human behavior, Yahweh is reliable. He never breaks a promise. Therefore, His word is the epitome of trustworthiness. The Bible is God’s collection to remind and assure us that He is unwavering in His promises. True faith is not a blind leap into nothingness or the irrational rather, it is an intellect that travels beyond its boundaries and finds vision that transcends itself.
The word Amen is etymologically related to Faith. Amen is not just a spiritual ending to our prayers; it is a verbal confession that we believe what we have just prayed “to be so.” Faith is more than just believing a statement about God, it reveals a life of complete reliance upon Him.
The Psalmist is not experiencing just a bad day in this context. No, he is severely oppressed and pressed hard against the ground. It would have been a time of darkness and utter hopelessness for many, but not the Psalmist. Yes, genuine pain and affliction was going on for him, but he exercised his faith because of his relationship with the only faithful God and the collection of promises fulfilled in his life and the Scripture.
How does he do that? By proclaiming his current state of trouble. It sounds a bit counterintuitive, doesn’t it? How does proclaiming you are in a miserably low time in life exhibit faith? Most Christians would simply go into the closet and get out one of their “spiritual mask” and put it on and not let anyone know of their current troubles, but not the Psalmist. The Psalmist knew, had faith, that God is good and that the promise He gives us in verse 15 would be a reality. Verse 15 tells us, “The LORD values the lives of his faithful followers.”
This wasn’t some blind faith belief, but rather an intellectual acknowledgment that the God of all is in control, and he can securely believe and proclaim that through all life’s circumstances, God will prevail.
