Psalm 119 is a long, complex, and beautiful poem that celebrates the sufficiency of Scripture to meet every need of the human soul. It begins with a declaration of blessing for those who live according to God’s word. Psalm 119:1-3 declares, “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!” The one who lives with confidence in God’s word is blessed. However, this blessing must be defined as divine approval – not material prosperity, favorable circumstances, or fulfilling relationships. This truth is made clear as you read Psalm 119.

The psalmist faced many dangers, toils, and snares. When you get to the final stanza of the psalmist, two things are evident. The psalmist’s difficult circumstances have not changed. In these closing verses, the psalmist does not directly mention his troubles or his troublemakers. Yet the petitions he makes in these verses make it clear his trials were not over. He was still in need of divine insight, help, and deliverance. Psalm 119 is not a sitcom in which the problems are solved by the end of the show. It is a cliffhanger, in which the troubles continue after the show is over. The psalmist’s difficult circumstances have not changed. Yet his steadfast confidence has not changed. This is the urgent message of this final stanza: Do not lose your confidence in the word of God. How do you maintain steadfast confidence in God’s word?

Believing Prayer

The opening verses of this stanza record the writer’s prayers for spiritual enlightenment and divine intervention.

• Verse 169 says, “Let my cry come before you, O Lord.”
• Verse 170 says prays, “Let my plea come before you.”

The repeated phrase “before you” teaches that reverence for God is essential to prayer. But as we pray with reverence, we can also pray with confidence. We can pray with confidence because God has given us his word.

Pray for understanding. Verse 169 says, “Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word.” “Cry” is significant. It was a technical term for the presentation of an offering, in which the worship prayed his offering would be acceptable to God. It is an expression of desperation and confidence at the same time. Why does he cry out? He says, “Let my cry come before you; O Lord, give me understanding according to your word.” The psalmist asked the Lord to do something within him. His concern was greater than his physical condition, financial status, or family issues. His external circumstances were not his chief concern. Without asking God to get him out of his situation, he asked God to give him understanding.

• He was not content with what he already knew.
• He was not content with knowledge alone.

He prayed for understanding. Psalm 103:7 says, “He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.” Ask God to show you his ways, not just his works!

Pray for deliverance. Verse 170 says, “Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word.” Here is an x-ray of the heart of prayer. At its core, prayer is a plea. It acknowledges our weakness, neediness, and helplessness. It affirms God’s greatness, power, and wisdom. And is pleads with God that the worthy God would hear and answer the unworthy sinner. Prayer is a declaration of dependence upon God. It confesses, “Lord, I cannot do it. You can. Please do for me what I cannot do for myself.”

The psalmist asked the Lord to let his plea come before him. Then he prayed, “Deliver me according to your word.” This is why we make our plea to God. God is able to deliver! Daniel 3:16-17 reads: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O, Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.” God can deliver you according to his word. He can bring you out by his word and because of his word. This is the sufficiency of scripture: Everything you need to find deliverance is found in the word of God.

True Worship

 In the midst of turmoil, the psalmist was sustained by personal and corporate worship.   

Practice personal worship. Verse 171 says, “My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.” The psalmist determined to praise God with affection, adoration, and appreciation. Some withhold the praise that is due to God. Others only offer trickles of praise. The psalmist vowed to pour forth a fountain of praise to God. Yet his praise was not contingent upon how he felt. It was an act of the will: “My lips will pour forth praise.” God is worthy of praise in every situation. We should praise him no matter what. Psalm 51:15 should be our constant prayer: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.”

The psalmist praise with purpose and on purpose: “My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.” The psalmist did not praise God for physical or material blessings. Spiritual blessings cause him to erupt in grateful praise: “for you teach me your statutes.” God’s teaching invoked his thanksgiving. This clause does not deny the necessity of human teachers. It is a statement about the source and nature of scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” When scripture speaks, God speaks. Praise God for what you learn from his word!         

Participate in corporate worship. Verse 172 says, “My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.” The KJV reads: “My tongue shall speak of Thy word.” The more accurate rendering is “sing,” not speak. The Hebrew word refers to an antiphonal chant. Isaiah 6:3 says, “And one cried unto another, and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” The psalmist determined to sing to others about the word of God that they would sing back to him about the word of God. He did not merely attend corporate worship as a spectator expecting others to entertain him with their worship. He was a participating member of corporate worship.

Verse 172 says, “My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right.” His praise was about and because of the word. The psalmist determined to sing of the word because the commandments of God are right. There is a difference between right and wrong, truth and error, good and evil. How can you tell the difference? The psalmist says, “All your commandments are right.” This is what we mean by the inerrancy of scripture. The word of God cannot error. If it is in the Bible, it is right. It is not just right when it comforts. It is right when it commands. And it is not just right selectively: “All your commandments are right.” If God said it, that settles it. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Humble Devotion

Steadfast confidence in God’s word is characterized by a humble devotion that shapes our priorities and passions.

Godly Priorities. Verse 173 says, “Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.” The psalmist acknowledged his need for help. He also acknowledged that God alone could provide the help he needed. He prayed, “Let your hand be ready to help me.” This anthropomorphism expresses the power of God. The psalmist prays for divine intervention. This is our privilege in Christ. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The psalmist prays for help and explains why the Lord should answer his prayer: “Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.”

• You need divine help.
• You have asked for help.
• You are waiting for help. 

But it does not seem the Lord is ready to help. Why? It may be the Lord is not ready to help because you have not chosen his precepts. You cannot choose to go your way and expect the Lord to help you in your rebellion. You must choose his precepts. Luke 10:41-42 says, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one this is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Godly Passions. Verse 173 says, “I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight.” As typical in this psalm, “salvation” refers to rescue from trouble, not forgiveness of sin. The psalmist was in a desperate situation. Only the Lord could deliver him. Yet he does not ask God to save him. He says, “I long for your salvation.” “Long” means to patiently wait with great expectation. Psalm 42:1-2 says, “As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”

The psalmist was consumed with desire for God to save him. This is a good place to be. Sometimes God delays his deliverance, not because he does not care about what you are going through. He delays because he wants to use your circumstances to get you to a place where you care about him more than anything else. Thus, there are times when the Lord puts us in his waiting room. How can you keep looking up when your burdens are weighing you down? Verse 174 says, “I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight.” The psalmist was able to wait on God because the word of God was the basis of his joy. W. Graham Scroggie comments: “When longing brings delight, delight will increase longing.”

Stubborn Faith

In Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning writes: “This book started writing itself with a remark from my spiritual director. “Brennan, you don’t need any more insights into the faith,” he observed. “You’ve got enough insights to last you three hundred years. The most urgent need in your life is to trust what you have received.” Could this be said of you? We need stubborn faith.

God will sustain you when you do right. Verse 175 says, “Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me.” There are three requests in this verse. First, the psalmist asks God to let his soul live. It is not clear if this request refers to physical or spiritual life. Either way, he acknowledges that he cannot live without God. The first request is probably about physical life because of the second request: “Let my soul live and praise you.” If asked why the Lord should keep him alive, his answer was, “That I may praise the Lord.” Psalm 30:9 says, “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?” What do you think God has kept you alive?

There is a third request in this verse: “Let your rules help me.” It is a confession of the weakness of his flesh and a testimony of his confidence in God. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:8 says, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” The psalmist rightly prays: “Let your rules help me.” This is the proper attitude toward the authority of God’s word. Sinners view God’s word as a hindrance, not a help. But God’s rules are given to help us to live as we should.

God will seek you when you go away. Verse 176 says, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant; for I do not forget your commandments.”

• Sheep are dumb.
• Lost sheep are doomed.

The psalmist closes this psalm by describing himself as a lost sheep. He does not blame anyone else for his condition. He is like a lost sheep because he has gone astray. But the straying sheep prayed to the Good Shepherd: “seek your servant.” “Your servant” reminds us that God does not use perfect people. Even though he had gone astray, he was still God’s servant. The proof that he was God’s servant was that he asked God to seek him. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on his the iniquity of us all.”

Admittedly, it is an anticlimactic way to end this glorious psalm. Rather than ending this great psalm with another affirmation of scripture or declaration of devotion, the psalmist concludes with a confession of sin: “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.” In previous verses of this psalm, he vows to follow God’s word no matter what. Here he admits that he had gone astray. Does this mean his vows were insincere? No. It means your sincerity is not enough to keep you on the right path. But if you remember God’s word, he will seek you when you have gone astray.