#DailyDevotion Call Upon The LORD & Wait For His Answer
Psalm 119 145I call with all my heart — answer me, O LORD; I will keep Your laws (choq). 146As I call You, save me; I will follow the truths (edah) You wrote. 147I was up before dawn calling for help I wait for You to keep Your promise (dabar). 148I’m wide awake throughout the night watches to study Your word (imrah). 149Since You love me, listen to me calling; according to Your justice (mishpat), O LORD, give me a new life. 150Those who pursue vice have come near; they are far from Your teaching (torah). 151You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments (mitsvah) are true. 152Long ago I learned from the truths (edah) You wrote that You established them forever.
This section of the psalm has as its theme calling upon the LORD for salvation. It is the topic of verses 145-149. The parallel topic of those verses is waiting on the LORD to save. The psalmist calls with all of his heart, all his inmost being. If he turns to the LORD this way, he expects an answer. He makes a vow to keep His laws. I can relate. It seems to be natural to make this sort of vow when we need something for the LORD. We certainly are sincere when we say this. I don’t know how seriously the LORD takes us knowing our fallen nature. The next verse is similar in nature. His petition is in the nature to be saved. We don’t know what he seeks to be from or from who though they may be the people in verse 150 or himself in verse 149. There is again a vow to follow all of the LORD’s truths.
Obviously he is troubled by something. He cannot sleep. Certainly you can relate. I can relate. Sometimes we may involve ourselves in more destructive behavior when we cannot sleep. Perhaps we should follow the psalmist actions here. When he cannot sleep, he calls upon the LORD and waits on Him. He studies God’s word when he cannot sleep. This is a good time to have owned your own hymnal. When you can’t sleep you can pray compline, matins, lauds or some form of a vigil. The main thing is we focus on the LORD, His promises, His ways and to wait on Him to fix our problem and not act out of fear.
He is obviously relying on the LORD’s own words that He loves the psalmist. We too should rely on His promise of steadfast love. Based on His promise of steadfast love (Hebrew-chesed, Greek-eleos). I find it interesting that eleos-mercy is the word for chesed rather than agape. It is the LORD’s covenant love toward us. According to the LORD’s justice he seeks a new life. The LORD’s justice revives us. Where do we see this? We see this on the cross where the LORD executed the justice we deserve for our sins and places them on Jesus who bears our guilt and our punishment for us. The shedding of His blood makes atonement and a propitiation so we may have new life through faith in Him.
His enemies have drawn near to him though they are far from the LORD’s teachings. It would seem they are the source of his problems. So he confesses the LORD is near to him. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 Jn 4:4). Because the LORD dwells in us and has made us His temple, what should we fear of wicked men who come against us. They may kill the flesh but they cannot kill the soul. They may try to pressure us to abandon the mitsvah and edah, the commandments and truths of the LORD, but we fear the LORD who can destroy both body and soul in hell (Matt. 10:28).
Many of us have heard and were taught the truths of the LORD from birth. Such is the case with the psalmist. Even if we are a late comer, we can still confess with the psalmist the LORD’s ways are fixed. His moral law, His judgments, as well as His mercy, kindness and steadfast love as well as His discipline remain forever and we can depend upon it.
Merciful God and Father, listen when we cry to you. Give us Your grace so we may do Your will and obey you. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, give us new life and reign in our hearts and our minds. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.