Psalms 129:2
" “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up;
Yet they have not prevailed against me."
In these three Psalms (128-130) we see the writer(s) expressing their hope in God despite their circumstances of life. It is so easy to look at our surroundings and believe God is not there or that we hare hopelessly domed. In the above verse in particular we read that the writer recognized that many times he had been on the wrong end of persecution ... from his youth and upward. He had grown up with the feelings of persecution. It would be natural for such a person to develop a mindset of defeat and low self-esteem. Yet, we see, rather, a confident spirit that believes the current persecution will not continue or be conquering in this life. This fits with Proverbs 28:1 that states that the righteous are bold as a lion. The hope the writer has is not in himself, but in the character and promises of the God he serves. God knows the ways that we take and He knows the difficulties we face. He will not allow the righteous to suffer. He makes the way straight and the paths clear, even if there are persecutors along the way. They will not prevail. We are not defeated by those who hate God and hate us. We are defeated when we fail to recognize that God allows difficulties in our lives to grow us and to groom us. "Many times" the writer states he has been persecuted ... from "my youth up." Yet, he developed a trust in God that transcends that persecution and his trust is in God not the circumstances he has experienced or that surround him.
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