Praying from the Psalms
Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. (Ps. 119:18)
God is revealed in His written Word. One of my favorite passages in which God reveals Himself is Psalm 119, a “Psalm of David.” It is a devotion of love for the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, and it overflows with meditations on God’s nature and character. David references the Torah over 170 times, calling it the words, statutes, precepts, judgments, laws, decrees, and ways of God. He continually asks for help to walk according to these precepts and in a manner pleasing to the Lord. From phrases like “I yearn for Your righteous judgments,” “I will delight in Your statutes,” “Your word has given me life,” “I will meditate upon Your precepts,” “I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes,” and “I shall observe it with my whole heart,” it is clear that David had a deep love for God’s Word. He understood that God’s very nature was enclosed in it. Therefore, David meditated upon it day and night (Ps. 119:147, 148).
Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. (Ps. 119:27)
The Word presents a clear picture of who the Father is, second only to Jesus Himself in human form. The Bible and the incarnated Son of God are the supreme witnesses of God’s person. Sadly, we often neglect time in the Word. Having the Bible at our fingertips without reading it is like having Jesus in the same room without asking Him a single question. Reading and meditating on the Word should be our chief concern.
The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Ps. 119:130)
We would do well to marvel at God’s Word. When we pray and meditate on it, we are receiving living understanding of the One that we so desperately long to know and love. The Bible is our delight, because it is God’s method of communication with us. Even the more difficult sections of the Bible contain a wealth of truth that we can find if we take time to wade through it. Timothy says, “all scripture . . . is profitable” (2 Tim. 3:16).
Having a love for the truth of God’s Word will keep us in times of trouble. Now is the time to be sober and vigilant, going deep in the things of God, because we know that seasons of shaking are coming. Meditating on Scripture will prepare our hearts for the hour of trial, and it will instill in us a steely resolve to be faithful while surrounded by faithlessness. It is an invitation to be a friend of the Bridegroom, to hear His voice, and to glory in it.
Oh how I love Your law, it is my meditation all the day. (Ps. 119:97)
