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The Bold Believer (Psa 119.46)

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I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed (Psa 119.46).

The Christian life is a pursuit of thinking and acting in accordance with reality, the way things really are, as revealed and interpreted by Scripture. This is walking by faith, not by sight, because the reality often differs from what can be known by our senses alone. By definition, a real, acting faith is the difference between a believer and an unbeliever. A believer is sensible enough to know that his own wits are not as trustworthy as the biblical doctrine, and so though doing things God’s way feels like “going out on a limb,” it is really climbing down off the limb to stand on terra firma, the solid ground of truth.
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Freedom to Live Right (Psa 119.45)

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And I will walk at liberty:
For I seek thy precepts (Psa 119.45).

Sinners naturally consider the Lordship of Christ over them as some kind of restriction that is not to be endured even for a moment. The very thought of yielding to His authority and conducting their lives according to His revealed will is revolting to them. In their minds this would be a kind of cosmic slavery bound to make their lives unbearable drudgery. They view conscientious Christians as repressed and miserable because they cannot live as “normal people” do. They dwell under the cloud of a thousand “thou shalt nots,” that rains on every potential parade of fun.
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A Resolution for the New Year and Beyond (Psa 119.44)

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So shall I keep thy law continually
For ever and ever (Psa 119.44).

The great-by-grace Jonathan Edwards believed in making and keeping resolutions. In 1722-23 before his twentieth birthday, he wrote his famous seventy, which include a promise of periodic self-examination in the light of these resolutions:

3. Resolved, If ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
37. Resolved, To inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent – what sin I have committed – and wherein I have denied myself; also, at the end of every week, month and year.

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Plea for Spiritual Preservation (Psa 119.43)

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And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth;
For I have hoped in thy judgments (Psa 119.43).

Discerning with certainty the exact sense in which these words were originally intended is difficult, if not impossible, yet we may glean some doctrine from it which is certain, being plainly stated and implied here, and confirmed and enlarged in other places of Scripture.
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A Christian’s Vindication (Psa 119.42)

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So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me:
For I trust in thy word (Psa 119.42).

The statement, “I don’t care what people think about me,” may reflect an unholy attitude. A man might say this because he has no concern about others, or because he is given to some life-dominating sin, or because he is apathetic about God’s reputation in the world.

Admittedly, a true Christian believer is one who has repented of the fear of man, even if remnants of that idolatry remain in his heart. A true believer has embraced Jesus as the greatest treasure, and is willing to forsake all others to follow Him. A true believer is characteristically resolved to believe the truth and do right no matter how unpopular it may be. All this is good and necessary, and yet we must remain concerned about how the unbelieving world views us. It is godly to desire ultimate vindication, for this the psalmist’s exemplary ambition of in our Spirit-inspired text.
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Lord, Save Me Again! (Psa 119.41)

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Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD,
Even thy salvation, according to thy word (Psa 119.41).

“Lord, save me—again!” This title may indeed sound like heresy to some, an outbreak of the inevitable Arminian error that true believers may lose their salvation because of their free will, and then they may regain it, and that this process could conceivably be repeated. Our wills are so naturally fickle, that this would mean “ye must be [not only] born again, [but also] again, and again, and again.” But our title is not implying that at all. Rather, it reflects a very prevalent biblical doctrine that salvation is not merely a sinner’s once-in-a-lifetime need, but an ongoing need of saints. We who believe the gospel have been saved. We are being saved. And we shall yet be saved.
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Prayer for Personal Revival

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Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: Quicken me in thy righteousness (Psa 119.40).

I believe in the possibility of revival, not only on a wide scale, but also in the quiet, personal experience of an individual believer. We learn from this verse that even real Christians need spiritual renewal, and that this comes from God by means of prayer.
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Lord, Save Me From Disgracing You

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Turn away my reproach which I fear: For thy judgments are good (Psa 119.39).

Psalm 119 lets us into the prayer closet of an eminent saint, deeply devout, and expressing his sincere and innermost thoughts and feelings to the Lord. Yet it was composed under the controlling prophetic influence of the Spirit of God as a pattern of piety for all believers, to be read and sung publicly in the church’s worship of God. Though the psalmist is a sinful man, we cannot fault any sentiment he expresses in this psalm, because he had the inspiration and protection of the Most Holy Spirit and thus was guarded from all error. Indeed, a critical spirit is spiritually blind. We must have the humble, teachable attitude of little children who know nothing, if we would learn at all something of true and experiential godliness.
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Lord, Keep Your Promises, Even to Me

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Stablish thy word unto thy servant,
Who is devoted to thy fear (Psa 119.38).

God is good and cannot lie. His promises of amazing grace to sinners are found throughout the Word like countless diamonds strewn about a field and glistening in the sun. God has chosen a great host of people throughout history to enjoy them, and they shall. But what good are they to me unless I know for sure that I personally will possess and own them?

This spiritual concern becomes especially intense when I consider the alternative—a poverty beyond the capacity of human language to express. Heaven has its counterpart in hell, and both alike are incomprehensible with their opposite extremes. To miss out on the blessing of gospel promises is to be ruined and doomed for eternity.
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Revive Me Out of My Idolatry

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Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
And quicken thou me in thy way (Psa 119.37).

Idolatry is the problem; revival is the answer. This inspired petition rests on that presupposition and confirms it.

Pray to escape idolatry by an increase of spiritual vitality.

THE PROBLEM OF IDOLATRY

The universal sin. As soon as each and every person begins to express himself in a morally-responsible way, he or she exhibits strong tendencies toward idolatry, even in the most Christian societies. That statement may seem utterly ridiculous until we realize what is included in the biblical concept of idolatry.
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