Psalm 129 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward!
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
7 with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
8 nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”

There’s an old story about a ship caught in a violent storm off the coast of Scotland. Waves slammed against the hull, wind tore at the sails, and everyone on board thought the vessel would break apart at any moment. In the chaos, an elderly sailor seemed strangely calm. Someone shouted, “How can you be so peaceful when we may not make it?” The old sailor replied, “I have sailed through storms worse than this. I’ve learned that one thing matters when the wind rages: find the anchor, make sure it holds, and ride it out.” That night, the anchor did hold, and the ship survived. The next morning, as the sun rose over quiet waters, the young sailor understood the lesson: security wasn’t found in calmer seas, but in a faithful anchor.

Psalm 129 is a song for storm-tossed believers, a song for anyone battered by seasons of affliction. This Psalm, part of the Songs of Ascents, looks back over Israel’s long and often heartbreaking history. Over and over again, enemies tried to wipe Israel off the map. Israel’s story is not the story of a strong nation defeating its enemies through superior strength. It’s the story of a small, vulnerable people preserved by an unshakable God. From the very beginning, Israel faced threats far greater than they could withstand. When Jacob was running from Laban, God warned Laban in a dream not to harm him. When Jacob feared Esau might slaughter his family, God intervened and turned Esau’s anger into peace. In Egypt, Pharaoh attempted to kill every male Hebrew child. Later, Assyrians, Syrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Ottomans, dictators, and tyrants tried to erase them. Yet none prevailed. Not because Israel was stronger, wiser, or more numerous. In almost every case, they were outnumbered. And still, Psalm 129 declares: “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.”

That is the heartbeat of this Psalm: many afflictions, yes — but no extinction. Many battles, yes — but no defeat. Many storms, yes — but the anchor held.

This testimony belongs not only to ancient Israel; it belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ. From its first days in the Roman Empire, the Church has endured the fury of enemies visible and invisible. Authorities imprisoned believers, mobs tore Christians apart, and emperors fed them to lions. Through the centuries, regimes have tried to suppress the gospel, silence scripture, outlaw worship, and imprison missionaries. Yet the Church lives. Persecution never destroyed the Church; it purified her, strengthened her, and often multiplied her. Tertullian wrote in the second century, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Jesus said, “I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” The storms come, but the anchor holds.

Psalm 129 uses an unforgettable image: “The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows.” The affliction of God’s people is real, painful, and often leaves scars. The Psalmist doesn’t minimize suffering or pretend that following God is easy. He describes pain like a field being torn open by a plow blade — long, deep, unrelenting. Many believers know what that feels like: betrayal carving furrows in the heart, losses tearing through our joy, pressure and worry breaking apart our strength. But the Psalm doesn’t stop there. It continues, “The Lord is righteous; He has cut the cords of the wicked.” God does not let affliction have the final say. The plow may dig deep, but God cuts the harness. The wicked never get to control the plow forever. God sees, God knows, and God acts.

The Psalmist is not praying for personal revenge; he is appealing to God’s justice. Those who hated Zion hated God, His purposes, and His reign. Zion in scripture represents the dwelling of God, the place where He has chosen to put His name. To oppose Zion is to oppose the Lord Himself. It is rebellion at its peak — pride that says, “God, I will not bow to Your will, I will not honor Your people, I will not submit to Your truth.” Such opposition places a person on dangerous ground. Without God’s protection, they will slip, fail, and fade.

The Psalmist prays, “May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward!” He pictures their plans withering like grass growing on rooftop tiles — sprouting quickly but drying out before it can be harvested. Grass looked promising at first, but it had no roots, no depth, no lasting value. The wicked often seem successful for a season — powerful, wealthy, or unstoppable. But Psalm 129 reminds us that appearances deceive. Opposing God puts a person on a path that leads nowhere. No fruit, no harvest, no blessing.

Then the Psalm describes something striking: passersby do not bless them. In ancient Israel, harvest was a time of greeting and blessing. People would call out, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you!” But for those who oppose God, there is no blessing, no joy, no fellowship, no future. One of the earliest promises in scripture goes back to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.” History has proven that promise again and again.

Psalm 129 invites every believer to make their allegiance clear. Will we align ourselves with God’s purposes, God’s people, and God’s kingdom? Or will we resist, oppose, mock, and belittle those whom God has chosen? Affliction will come either way — but only those anchored to God will endure.

The apostle Paul knew affliction better than most. Yet he writes in 2 Corinthians 4: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.” Paul boiled the testimony of Psalm 129 into four unforgettable statements: afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. The storms are real, the waves are high, but the anchor holds.

And Paul presses even deeper in Romans 8: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Not just conquerors — more than conquerors. Why? Because suffering does not merely end in survival; it ends in transformation. God uses affliction to shape us into the image of His Son. We carry the death of Jesus in our bodies so that His life may be revealed through us. When we remain faithful in suffering, the world sees the power of Christ in us.

Nothing — not death, not life, not angels, not rulers, not the present, not the future, not powers, not height, not depth, not anything else in all creation — will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. No enemy will prevail. No storm will uproot us. No pressure will crush us.

Perhaps today you feel like that ship beaten by wind and waves. Maybe your afflictions are invisible — anxiety, loneliness, discouragement. Maybe they are relational — conflict, betrayal, misunderstanding. Maybe they are spiritual — temptation, doubt, attack from an unseen enemy. Psalm 129 speaks into that storm with ancient certainty: They have afflicted you, yes. But they will not prevail. The plow cuts deep, yes. But God cuts the cords.

A believer’s peace does not come from the absence of storms but from the presence of an anchor. And the anchor is Christ — steady, faithful, righteous, victorious, unchanging.

So what is our practical response? Hold tight to God’s promises when the winds of affliction rise. Don’t surrender your allegiance. Don’t give up before the rescue arrives. Stand firm. Scripture does not promise a painless life; it promises a prevailing life. God allows affliction not to destroy us but to refine us, strengthen us, and shape us into Christ’s image. Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things — even the very storms that terrify us — work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

When the storm rages, let your heart say: “Many have afflicted me, but they have not prevailed.” When fear whispers, repeat Paul’s words: “Afflicted, but not crushed.” And when you wonder whether God has forgotten you, anchor yourself to this truth: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”

The seas will not always be rough. Morning is coming. The anchor will hold. And when the storm passes, you will see, not only that you survived, but that God was shaping something beautiful in you all along. God bless.