As Psalm 119 has progressed, we have seen the author take his needs concerning his enemies to God again and again. In this stanza he does this once more, although his focus is less on his enemies and more on his reliance on God. Take a look at this passage in Psalm 119:145-148:

Frankly, the author of Psalm 119 has learned to rely upon God due to one major factor: his prayer life and his ability to use God’s Word within it.

In the author’s circumstances, he had enemies who were against him, and against his faith in God. So his prayers throughout this entire psalm have been for deliverance from them, and from the dangers and threats they pose.

For us, we probably don’t face physical enemies, in the form of other people, although it is increasingly possible in our culture. But we do face opposition to our faith. It can come in the form of physical persecution and ridicule, but more often in the form of spiritual attack, at least in my experience.

So what do we do in such circumstances? In this stanza of Psalm 119, the writer turns to his prayer life and how using God’s Word within it can help.

First of all, the psalmist states that we must pray earnestly. His prayers were very earnest and intentional. In verse 145, he cries, “I call with all my heart.” His cries are short and fervent, “Help me! Save me!” In circumstances that are threatening and beyond our ability to endure, such a prayer is entirely appropriate.

Think of Peter, when he stepped out of the boat on the Sea of Galilee and began walking to Jesus in Matthew 14:29-30. His cry was the same prayer that the psalmist utters here, “Lord, save me!”

When our prayers are earnest, when they are fervent, they are powerful and effective, according to James 5:16. So our prayer life should be in earnest as much as possible.

This isn’t to say that there is no place for well thought out prayers, which we take our time composing and spend more time lifting up. There is a place for both, but both must be in earnest.

Second, the psalmist states that he prays continually. Verses 147-148 show how he stays up through the night in order to dwell upon the promises of God and lift his petitions to God. Paul reiterates this in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, when he simply says that we should “pray continually.” This doesn’t mean that we are to do nothing but pray, but that everything we do must be done with an attitude of prayer surrounding it. Prayer should be a natural and constant part of our lives.

Again, this isn’t to say that specific, planned times of prayer have no place. They do, and they can be very beneficial. Developing a habit of prayer, both structured and continual, is to be our goal.

It is interesting to note that the psalmist also uses the word “meditate” in verse 148. His prayers of all hours of the night and day are paired with a meditation upon the Word of God. He takes the Word of God, the promises and the commands contained within it, and continually dwells upon it, especially in his prayers.

The more we meditate upon Scripture, the better we will know God’s heart. The better we know his heart, the more in line with him will our prayers be. The two are inseparably intertwined. We would do well to learn better this discipline of meditation in our own prayer lives.

In the next half of this stanza of Psalm 119, we will look at two additional ways in which the psalmist emphasizes prayer in his life.

Question: Take a look at your own personal life. How much does prayer impact your daily life? How much do you pray? How do you need to grow in this spiritual habit? You can leave a comment by clicking here.