With only three stanzas left in Psalm 119, the psalmist seems to be increasing his pleas for God’s salvation and provision against his enemies. His conclusions should help us understand God’s desires for our own lives better. Take a look at Psalm 119:153-156:

The author of Psalm 119 has described more than once his enemies and the persecution that they bring to him as he strives to follow God’s Word. As the psalm progresses, there seems to be an increasing urgency in his cries for help.

And yet, at the same time, the psalmist’s pleas are focusing less and less upon himself and have become more of a prayer as the stanzas have gone by. As Psalm 119 progresses, the author has grown to the point where he is now calmly waiting in obedience.

As this section of the psalm begins, he calls out once again for protection and deliverance. The psalmist reminds God that he has kept his laws, and that he hasn’t forgotten them. He knows that obedience to God’s Word isn’t an option for him, and it’s not an option for us either.

Our culture dislikes the notion of obedience. We want to do whatever we want, whenever we want, and to do it on our own. We have become overly independent, refusing to submit to any authority whatsoever.

This isn’t a new problem, and has been around for centuries. Jesus spoke very forthrightly about obedience, and about the need to submit to his Lordship. Paul writes in several places of the need to submit to Christ, to submit to others, to submit to authorities, and more.

The first half of this stanza contained a couple of instructions on prayer that the psalmist has learned while facing opposition in his life. This passage gives two more. You can see them in Psalm 119:149-152:

As mentioned when we looked at the first half of this strophe, the author of Psalm 119 has learned to rely upon God mainly due to a single factor: his prayer life. He has come to rely upon God for protection and provision, and knows that it is only through his ongoing conversations with God that this relationship can stay vibrant and healthy.

In the first half of the passage, the psalmist gave two ways that using God’s Word in his prayer life gave him the strength he needed to continue following God fully. First, he stated that we must pray earnestly. And second, that we must pray continually.

In the final verses of this stanza, we can see two more characteristics of our prayer life, and the need to use God’s Word within it.