#DailyDevotion The LORD Answers Our Prayers With His Word When We Are Down
Psalm 119 25My spirit clings to the dust–give me a new life as You promised (dabar). 26When I tell you about my life, answer me; teach me Your laws (choq). 27Help me understand how You want me to live (piqqud), and I will think of the wonderful things You do. 28My misery deprives me of sleep — strengthen me as You promised (dabar). 29Turn me away from falsehood, and kindly give me Your instructions (torah). 30I have chosen the way of faithfulness and set Your decrees (misphat) before me. 31I cling to the truths (edah) You wrote —O LORD, don’t let me come to shame. 32I will run the way of Your commandments (mitsvah) because You give me a broader understanding.
As usual, believers in the Old Testament are real people. They have bad days as well. Everything doesn’t go hunky dory for them all the time. Here the psalmist feels like his spirit is clinging to the dust. He feels as if he is dead. “As You promised” is also translated “according to Your Word.” That word is perhaps Deut. 30, “6The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your mind and all your heart and will live.” This also conforms to our understanding of the 3rd article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe I cannot believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him by my own reason or strength.” It is through the Word and Sacraments of Christ He gives us new life.
Most translations translate the second phrase of vs. 26 as “You answered me.” It seems to fit better than the imperative given here. It is interesting the answer to his relating to the LORD his life are the the written laws of God (choq). Our answers are in the written word as well if we put aside our own thoughts and desires. The details of the law (piqqud) help us to understand how the LORD Jesus Christ wants us to live. These point us to the wonderful things the LORD has done for us to meditate on and ponder.
Again, the people of God often lose sleep as the psalmist does. He again turns to the promises (dabar) of the LORD to strengthen him. Cf. Isa. 40:29, 31 Jesus promises us in Matt. 28 He is with us until the end of the age and again in Heb. 13 He will never leave us or forsake us.
There is so much fake news out there these days. There are also lots of false ways of living. It sounds good to the fallen heart but it doesn’t pay off like we think it would have. We need the Holy Spirit to turn us from these things and to give us His instructions. For Christians we should look to the Sermon on the Mount/Plain and all the exhortations the apostles give us in their letters. They are Jesus’ torah/instructions to us.
Having poured out our complaint to the LORD and having received His Word, the psalmist sets himself to live in the Word of the LORD. He uses the phrases, “I have chosen,” “I cling,” and “I will run.” Indeed when the LORD has given us new life in vs. 25 we indeed want to chose the way of faithfulness to the rules and regulations the LORD has given. We cling to the written word which instructs us in the life of the LORD. We want to run the way of precepts of the LORD. We do this and put our faith in the LORD that in doing so, He will not let us be ashamed but boldly live His life and let others be ashamed of not do so. Because of the new life He has given us and through the meditation on His Word, His revealed will for us, we have a broad understanding of His commands. In the Hebrew it literally says, “You broadened my heart.” This is the heart in the previous section which talks about the state of being of the heart. Here it is broadened. Indeed, the Hebrew heart is where reasoning and understanding takes place. I think we all know people who converted late in life who relate the bible opening up to them when faith in Christ was given. Indeed, the more we ponder the Word, trust the Word and do the Word the better understanding of the Word will be.
Heavenly Father, as You answer our prayers with Your Word, give us Your Holy Spirit so we may understand, believe and do what You gave us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.