Vs. 76 — Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to Your word to Your servant.

Thomas Manton:

1. The original cause of all the good which we expect, thy merciful loving-kindness.
2. The effect now sued for, be for my comfort, or to comfort me.
3. The instrument or means of obtaining it, which is double:—
[1.] On God’s part, the word, according to thy word.
[2.] On our part, prayer, let, I pray thee.
(1.) In the word there is the relief discovered and offered, and thereby we are encouraged and assured.
(2.) On our part there is prayer, in which we act faith and spiritual desire.
(3.) We have hope given in the word, and we sue it out by prayer.
(4.) The subject capacitated to receive this effect, from that cause, in this order, thy servant.
Doctrine: That the people of God have liberty, and much encouragement from God’s merciful nature and promises, to ask comfort in their afflictions.
This point will be best discussed by going over the parts and branches of the text as they have been laid forth to you.
First, The primary and principal cause of all comfort is the merciful kindness of God. We read in 2 Cor. 1:3, that he is ‘the father of mercies;’ and then it presently followeth, that he is ‘the God of all comfort.’ The remedy of all our evils lieth in the mercy of God, and his kindness and goodness is the fountain of all our blessedness. I shall inquire—(Manton, T. (1872). The Complete Works of Thomas Manton (Vol. 7, pp. 300–301). London: James Nisbet & Co.)

John Calvin:

… it is not in vain to remind God of his promise. It would be presumption for men to come into His presence, did he not, of his own mere good pleasure, open up the way for them. (Calvin, J., & Anderson, J. (2010). Commentary on the Book of Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 457). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Prayer:

Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant. Father, all according to Your word. I read in the Scriptures how loving, how kind, how gracious You are to Your children. Let Your merciful kindness flood over me according to Your promises. The Gospel that saved me, saves me. The glorious, bounding Gospel, which is the power of God unto Salvation, O’ may my heart continue to dive into its depth of love, mercy, and grace. All, yes ALL because of Jesus Christ, Who is my Savior, my Lord, my King!