Look on my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
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
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