Psalm 119:145-152

Every October, little children anxiously venture home from pumpkin patches to messily carve a face into their malleable canvas. As they finish their design, they walk outside, sit it on the porch and stick a light inside so the eyes of their pumpkin can look out into the world. Well, it is certainly nowhere near October, but there are still helpful lessons from those festive little jack-o-lanterns. You see, every believer in here knows the doctrines that we confess as a church; that God is good, that He is in control, and that we can trust in Him. But when the hardships of life darken the world around us, do the doctrines that we claim to hold inside of our hearts allow us to see things in a godly perspective?

It was Michael Kruger who said, “In the Christian life, we often vastly underestimate the amount of suffering we will be called to endure and overestimate how well we will handle it when it does come.” Well, have you found yourself there? Are you struggling with a crisis of faith and ashamed to even share the doubts that you’re having? When you look at the world around you, do you find yourself questioning whether it pays to serve God after all? If so, as we take a look at two texts today, we will find the inward thoughts of a struggling believer with a corrupted perspective and, in our assigned text for this evening, we will find ourselves encouraged by the prayer of a believer who is crying out from the depths of his heart while clenching onto the word of God with all that he has.

Now, one thing that both Psalm 73 and Psalm 119 have it common is that they are intended to minister to those in exile. Psalm 73 is the first chapter of Book 3 of the Psalms which concerns the exile. Meanwhile, in Psalm 119:19 we learn that the Psalmist here is an exile as well.

Psalm 119:19 NKJV

19 I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me.

Now, Psalm 73 was written by a man named Asaph. Asaph was a music minister who was appointed by King David. Not only was he a music minister, but other texts show us that he was also a prophet or a seer. One bit of information that is important about Asaph is that he was a Levite. Upon arrival in the promised land, every tribe received an inheritance of land except for the tribe of Levi who recieved the Lord as their inheritance. So, to keep it simple. As Asaph goes through this story, we will find that this is a man whose inheritance is nothing but God Himself but instead of living in light of that beautiful truth, he gets his eyes focused on the temporal prosperity of the wicked and becomes envious. So, this is a Psalm about a man who only had God, writing to a people in exile who literally have nothing else except their God and Lord.

I understand that I am not tasked with teaching Psalm 73 tonight, however I do believe that this text gives us an understanding of both sides of the coin for the believer. There are times where we find ourselves in trouble and we handle it with faith and trust, and then there are times where we are like Asaph and our whole world is shaken. With that said, in Psalm 73 we find

The Danger of a Corrupt Perspective

As we look at this passage, we find ourselves startled by these heavily contrasting statements from verse 1 through 3. In verse two, Asaph tells us that his feet almost stumbled and that he nearly slipped. This is a figure of speech telling us that his whole person was shaken. What he thought was grounded, was shaken. His faith, his confidence, his heart and soul were disturbed. In short, Asaph is telling us, “Hey, I almost walked away from God.”

In verse three, he will give a description of how this took place with each line giving more detail. What we see in this passage are his steps towards spiritual shipwreck. In the latter half, we notice that it says that his perspective was corrupted as he writes that he saw the prosperity of the wicked. What we learn immediately is that perspective influences how we interpret everything around us.

Imagine it this way: Let’s say you’re driving down the road and one of the tires on your car goes flat. Now, if you’re a high school boy whose excitedly heading to go on his first date. That sounds like the end of the world. But, if you’re heading to a meeting with someone who you only said yes to so they’d leave you alone, that doesn’t sound that bad after all, does it? It’s all about perspective.

And the perspective that Asaph has isn’t through the lens of the goodness of His faithful God, but through the lens of envy. Notice what he says in Psalm 73:13-14

Psalm 73:13–14 NKJV

13 Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all day long I have been plagued, And chastened every morning.

So, the first dangerous step toward shipwreck is a clouded perspective. Secondarily, we find, in the beginning of verse 3, that this clouded perspective resulted in him being envious of the boastful people around him. About this, Thomas Le Blanc writes, “If you are touched with envy at seeing the peace of the wicked, shut your eyes, do not look at it, for envious eyes think anything vast on which they gaze.”

I read a story this week about two ancients who were discussing how to enlarge ones eyesight. One was arguing that glass would be the way to go and the other was arguing that a special concoction would fix the issue. This is when the writer spoke up and said that he told them the cure would be envy, because it makes everything in sight seem greater than it really is. And this is the story of Asaph’s perspective. Just listen to how he describes the men he’s envious of:

In verse 4-5, he is envious of their ease of life. It seems to him that they never have hardships and in verse 4 he says, “These men don’t even agonize in their final days! They have perfect health up until they enjoy a quick death!”

In verse 6-9, he writes that all of their ease in life has caused them to be a violent and arrogant people who have more than they could ever dream of needing. In verse 9, such prosperity causes them to think that since they own all they could want on the earth, they turn their mouths toward heaven because they’re so proud.

In verses 10-11, we find some translational differences throughout a few works, but I believe the primary meaning here is that these successful and wicked sinners aren’t only proud, but popular and they have their followers drinking up all that they give them. And what is their attitude towards God? Ah, God doesn’t know or care about what we’re doing. They behave as though God is ignorant and if He is aware of their sin, He won’t do anything about it anyway. As Asaph looks around at this, his heart is torn to shreds with jealousy, frustration, and doubt. As we read in verses 12-14.

But in verse 15, something changes. There’s a snag in the rapidly descending heart of Asaph and for those of us who have found ourselves in this place, you might be able to testify that it’s a barrier or saving grace for you as well. Asaph will be held back from publicly announcing such horrid thoughts because of two things. First, his love for the people of God and 2nd, his perspective is changing by worship which reminded him of the person of God.

Now, as we direct our attention over to Psalm 119:145-152, we will find a different situation. Yes, there is hardship, but there is a different perspective here. Here we find a man who is surrounded by difficulty, who is overwhelmed with grief, but who is committedly anchored in Lord. In Psalm 73, we find a perspective changed by public worship, but in Psalm 119:145-152, we find a person upheld by private devotion. What we will learn from the Psalmist’s experience tonight is that prayer and the consumption of the Bible are the inhaling and exhaling of the Christian life. As we dive into this passage, we will find three things about a persevering prayer life:

Prayer Should Be Adorned with Commitment

A missionary society wrote to David Livingstone and asked, "Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you." Livingstone wrote back, "If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all." David Livingstone was a man defined by commitment for the Lord and much like him, in the lives of all believers, there must be a conscious sense of commitment that we live with both day in and day out. In verses 145-146, we find two aspects of the psalmist’s commitment. First, he was committed to bringing his hardships before the Lord and secondarily, he was committed to standing upon the promises of God even when he was overwhelmed by the world around him. As we think about that, I think we need to be reminded of the important of prayer and Scripture in the private devotional life of the believer.

Reading and prayer are the inhaling and exhaling of the Christian life.

Notice that the first two verses contain two actions. A verbal declaration of the authors need and a declaration of his commitment to the word of God. In essence, he is crying out for help and clinging on to the word of God which is, as the word entails, God’s speaking to us as His people.

It would benefit us greatly if we come around to understanding the remarkable benefit that is recieved in anchoring ourselves in His word and the unfathomable privilege that we have in going before God in prayer.

Secondarily, I want you to notice than in these first two verses, this isn’t a man who is approaching the Lord like a magic genie in a bottle. This is a believer who, although the storms blow all around him, he is confessing that though he doesn’t see the light, he is commited to standing on God’s word.

When we approach the Lord in prayer, it is important to recall the prayer of Christ in Gethsemane who prayed, “Father, not my will, but thine be done.” We shouldn’t come to the Lord as though He is a servant to our will, but that we are His servants who are committed to the will of our God and who seek His grace to gird us up in the hardships of life.

Do you find yourself overwhelmed tonight? Cry out to God! If the Psalms teach us anything, it is that God isn’t afraid of our emotions. But also, if you find yourself overwhelmed, don’t let the winds of hardship blow you off of the rock of faith. Charles Spurgeon said, “I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me against the Rock of Ages.”

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

1 John 3:1–3 NKJV

1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Prayer Should Be Approached Eagerly

If you have children or have little siblings, you see the definition of eager on a regular basis. For instance, on Christmas morning my daughter Ella just cannot wait to hop out of bed, wake us all up, and run into the living room to see what she got. This is a girl overwhelmed with enthusiasm as she is eager to explore the gifts waiting for her. Well, much like the eager attitude of a child, we too should cultivate such an attitude towards communion with God in prayer.

In verses 147-148 we find that the Psalmist is not stranger to early mornings and late nights being spent in prayer. Now, I do not think that this is a passage that is commanding a believer to wake up early to venture into prayer or to stay awake late into the night. When I was a young believer, I would wake up early to pray before school and would regularly find myself waking up at the side of my bed because I fell asleep during my prayer time. I find that my best moments of prayer are later in the day. However, there’s two things that are clear in the description of the Psalmists prayer. First, he is consumed with desire to bring his cares before the Lord and second, he is conscious of the need of quiet in the time of prayer.

Albert Barnes wrote, “They [meaning the Christian] will have regular seasons of devotion, but they will often anticipate those seasons. They will be in a state of mind which prompts them to pray; when nothing will meet their state of mind but prayer; and when they cannot wait for the regular and ordinary season of devotion; like a hungry man, who cannot wait for the usual and regular hour of his meals.” Barnes took this text to mean that these weren’t the regular times of devotion for the Psalmist, but that in this season of life, his heart is like a starving man who does nothing but long for prayer and so he finds any opportunity he can to run to it.

I have found myself in such a condition a few times in my Christian experience. Where prayer seems to be a stream of water to quench your soul as you can feel the Spirit drawing you to the throne of grace. Those are precious times, God ordained times, and times that should be taken advantage of.

Concerning the quiet hours of prayer, we live in an age where silence is almost extinct. We cannot walk through the woods to hear the creation of God preach a sermon of his creative genius anymore. Instead, we walk through the woods and bring our noise with us in our headphones or on our phones. It’s much like that in prayer too and so, we must be consciously examining our lives to see when that time of quiet is and when we can take advantage of it. For some, it’s early. For some, it’s late. For some, it’s when the babies take a nap just after lunch. But whenever it is, take advantage of it.

Finally, we notice that such times of devotion are anchored in the word of God as he mentions that he hopes in God’s word and meditates on it. The promises and practicality of God’s word are encouragements to this believer in the midst of hardship and it commits him to prayer.

Prayer Should Be Assured by God’s Character

He Hears Us and That Gives Purpose (149)

In verse 149, we find that the Psalmist appeals to the lovingkindness of the Lord to hear him which sounds right to us as Christians, doesn’t it? Maybe you’ve prayed something like, “Lord, I know you’ve said you love me, so please here me. I need you so desperately.” But have you ever really appealed to His justice before to revive you? Well, the Psalmist does, and as a Christian you can too. Why? Because if you are a Christian, you are declared righteous in the sight of God through the work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it would be unjust for God not to hear you.

To put it simply, because we know that we are reconciled and loved by God, we know that He will hear us when we pray and this leads us to the second aspect of His character, which is that:

He Cares For Us and That Gives Perspective (150-151)

Notice the play on words in verses 150-151 with words like, “near, far, near.” Apparently, the Psalmist is surrounded by men who are far from righteousness and are overwhelming him. But to this brother, when hardships are near, he is reminded that God is nearer still. Motyer writes, “The word, ‘near’ is a ‘next-of-kin’ word that means the Lord has pledged Himself to be our nearest relative who, in our helplessness, takes all our needs as His own.”

He Counsels Us and That Gives Peace (152)

Notice how he ends this prayer? There’s a communication of his point of view. In the beginning, “I cry, I cry, I cry!” Then, in the midst of his crying prayers he says, “I hope, I meditate” and as he closes this psalm he says, “I know.”