Psalm 119 Resh

 Look on my suffering and deliver me,

    for I have not forgotten your law.                                

Defend my cause and redeem me;

    preserve my life according to your promise.                                 

Salvation is far from the wicked,

    for they do not seek your decrees.

Your compassion, Lord, is great;

    preserve my life according to your laws.

Many are the foes who persecute me,

    but I have not turned from your statutes.

I look on the faithfulness with loathing,

    for they do not obey your word.

See how I love your precepts;

    preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.

All your words are true;

    all your righteous laws are eternal. 

Psalm 119: 153-60

    A lot of words and phrases are repeated consistently through this psalm; Lord, see how I love your precepts; The wicked ae opposed to your commands; Lord, I love your decrees: But lord, I have not turned from your statutes. One phrase that is repeated 3 times in this stanza is this: "Preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your - promise, laws, and love. Lets break down each one of these.

        Promises- David had lived through and fought a lot of battles, both personal and strategic throughout his 40 years as king. From the time he was a shepherd anointed King in his teen years to being on the run from Saul and his own children, he had received promises from God as well as saw God provide and protect him through all seasons. Even when he had the opportunity to end the battle in his way, there were times when he waited to ensure that this outcome was from God, and not himself. He knew the calling on his life was not a temporary thing, or a short-term promise, but till his last breath, he knew God would be faithful time and time again. Even as he writes the longest psalm in the bible, with enemies arising on all sides, he knew that if God still had something He wanted him to do, the current battle he was in would not end in death, because when God makes a promise, He will carry to completion, and David spent his whole life watching God do just that. "Preserve my life, Lord, according to your promises." David had a lifetime of stories about God fulfilling his end of the bargain.  

        Laws- "See, I love your precepts, See I have obeyed your laws." The people of Israel knew firsthand the Kingship and the heartache that came when the King of the day either followed God's law, or man's. It was the breaking of the law that kept them in the desert 40 years, even though the Promised Land was practically within sight. It was after they stopped following God's law that nation after nation would come in and carry them off to exile. David wanted his kingdom to remain in God's good graces, so to speak. Despite the enemy following their own ambition and morals, David trusted in everything that God had declared. Because of this, the wicked nations were destroyed, but David and his men came out with the victory. Even if we think we know God's plan for the current battle we are in, we can't assume God will work a miracle in the same way. Knowing God and understanding his decrees and statutes helps us prepare for every trial we face. 

        Love- King Saul was a great king, for about 3 days. As soon as pride and triumph entered into his heart, God lost his place as number one in his life. Now instead of being the man chosen by God, he became the man who spent every waking moment hunting down his son-in-law trying to kill the man God had selected to replace him. David, however, always kept God on his proper place in his life. In the position of a Father pouring out his love for his children. When David asked God to preserve his life, in accordance to His love, he was coming from a place of a son asking his Father for good gifts. If God wanted David to have the victory in battle, God himself would provide the tools that were needed for the battle at hand. Because we walk in the love of the Father, when a trial or tribulation arises, God has already prepared the tools we need to come out on top. 

    David truly was a man after God's own heart. If we are to live our lives the same way, we need to pray the types of prayers that bring about real change, 

                        " Preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your promises, laws and love. Guide me in             the path I need to take and supply me with the tools I need to do my part to bring about your                     victory. Though the enemy might be very well knocking on my door, you already have a plan                that has been set in motion to carry out the victory in ways that only you can. "

    I have tried to win my battles on my own strength, with my own plan, but have fallen short every time. Instead, I chose to trust the plan that has already been tested tried and true, and I can only do that by trusting the Father to preserve my life according to the things he has spoken to me, the things His character requires, and the love that springs forth from a relationship that can only come from the Father.

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey through the Psalms

Psalm 119 Qoph

I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord,                                   

    and I will obey your decrees.

I call out to you; save me                                                     

    and I will keep your statutes.

I rise before dawn and cry for help

    I have put my hope in Your word.

My eyes stay open through all the watches of the night,             

    that I may meditate on your promises.

Hear my voice in accordance with your love;

    preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.

Those who devise wicked schemes are near,

    but they are far from your law.

Yet you are near, Lord,

    and all your commands are true.

Long ago I learned from Your statutes

    that you established them to last forever-

Psalm 119 145-152

    Even from a young age, I have always been an early bird. Early to bed, early to rise. Although that has not changed, the manor in which I wake up has. When I was a kid and had no worries except for which kind of Poptarts I would have for breakfast, the spirit that I woke with was one of joy and laughter, with the excitement that a new day brings. Now that I am older and life has had a few turns at bat against me, I find it harder to get a decent night's rest without being awake with all of life's troubles. But here, the psalmist is saying that he, too, is up before the dawn, but not in worry or fear. When he awakes, he is reminded of all the promises God has spoken and declared over his life. He is reminded that even when the current problem of the day is, sometimes, quite literally at his doorstep, it doesn't change the fact that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. When we fully trust in the Lord, the enemy can only get so far before hightails away from the presence of the Lord and heads for the hills. King David lived a life full of fear and worry, but he is still regarded as a man after God's own heart, because despite the current situation he is in, God's decrees and statutes still hold true. God has never once failed King David, and he doesn't plan to start with us. In fact, we ae assured from Paul's letter to the church in Philippi that if God has started a work in your, a good work, He is faithful and able to carry it to completion. When can rest, or be awoken by the fact that if God has spoken a promise over your life, his track record proves himself worthy of completing it. 

 

    The Hebrew letter this section of the psalm is the letter Qoph. In it's most simple explanation, we find that it means "Set apart for a sacred purpose"- God blessed the 7th day and called it Holy (Qadash), Gen 2:3. What I believe the psalmist is trying to convey in this stanza of the psalms is that when we cry out to God, from a heart is is soft and pliable, not a heart that has let the world affect us, God will be reminded of the promises on your life and continue to make a way through the mess. Now, don't misinterpret what I'm saying here. God doesn't need reminding, but he wants His children to come to the throne willing and unafraid to remind ourselves that He is who He says He is. The world chases after evil, and therefore have decided to run away from God and his commands. I want to run towards the Father, jump into his loving, open arms and speak the truth He has so graciously placed inside me. 

    

    I have said this before and I will continue to say it. God wants our whole heart, not just on Sunday Mornings. Not just in the 5 minutes we set aside in the day on our prayer-to-do-list. A life of prayer should be continuous and integrated into every aspect of our lives. David lived this out everyday, because he knew God would come through for him without any doubt or tribulation that came his way. God's will would prevail, no matter the outcome, but he only had this assurance because he spent his life in prayer. Through every season, every valley and mountaintop, God was always at the forefront of David's mind, so there was no room for anything else to try and take its place. This was possible, because David made sure that prayer was a lifestyle, not a checkmark on a list. He could rest in the presence of his enemies, because he knew God was already superseding on his behalf. Makes it super easy to sleep at night knowing God is already fighting our battles, doesn't it. I choose to rest in the Lord and trust that when my heart is open, He knows how to get in and how to bring peace and comfort to my anxious soul. 

Rest well, my friends. The battle is already won.

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey through the Psalms