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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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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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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My soul melteth for heaviness: Strengthen thou me according unto thy word (Psa 119.28).
Real Christians are liable to the same kind of sorrows as unbelievers. The “happy-clappy religion” so popular today has denied this and fostered unrealistic expectations of Christian experience. What may surprise even sounder believers is that in some respects, real Christians are vulnerable to deeper griefs than the unconverted. Puritan Thomas Manton takes great pains to prove this in his sermon on our text:
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I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: Teach me thy statutes (Psa 119.26).
Intimacy requires communication. You cannot really know someone, and they cannot deeply know you, without “dialogue,” the two-way give and take of candid talking and careful listening, each with the other.
This alone constitutes authentic conversation, and there is precious little of it in this world. We often say things we do not really mean. We sometimes withhold our true thoughts and feelings that ought to be disclosed. When we seem to be listening, we can be planning instead what to say next. And should we come to the point where we are ready to speak with total honesty and listen with humble patience, how rare it is to find another willing to do the same! Is it any wonder that we are often terribly estranged from others, sometimes even from our immediate family members who live in the same household with us, and we find ourselves profoundly lonely?
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I am a stranger in the earth: Hide not thy commandments from me (Psalm 119:19).
For good or ill, your self-image affects your prayers—whether you pray, and for what you pray. The self-confident (that is, idolaters) never ask God for anything sincerely or earnestly. A covetous man worries about the future and prays to avoid poverty. A hypochondriac predominantly prays for health. One who views himself as a great sinner by nature constantly asks for forgiveness and cleansing. The self-righteous person offers thanks that he is not evil like other people.
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