Longing for You
Opening Prayer
I praise You, Lord! You like us to be honest with You and tell it as it is, as the psalmist does.
Read Psalm 119:73–96
73 Your hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding to learn your commands.
74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word.
75 I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 May your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
78 May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;
but I will meditate on your precepts.
79 May those who fear you turn to me,
those who understand your statutes.
80 May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,
that I may not be put to shame.
כ Kaph
81 My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope in your word.
82 My eyes fail, looking for your promise;
I say, “When will you comfort me?”
83 Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do not forget your decrees.
84 How long must your servant wait?
When will you punish my persecutors?
85 The arrogant dig pits to trap me,
contrary to your law.
86 All your commands are trustworthy;
help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
87 They almost wiped me from the earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88 In your unfailing love preserve my life,
that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.
ל Lamedh
89 Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve you.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.
94 Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.
96 To all perfection I see a limit,
but your commands are boundless.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you ever been “persecuted without cause”?Often in life we feel we are going through hard times and there doesn’t seem to be much to give us hope. Clearly the psalmist also felt oppressed when he wrote this psalm. First, there are his enemies; “Help me, for I am being persecuted without cause!” he cries (86; 95). Then there are the sufferings he is experiencing (92). He recognizes that in his faithfulness God has allowed these (75), but that doesn’t make life any easier! So he prays for the Lord’s unfailing love to comfort him and his compassion to come to him (76,77).
Notice how hard the psalmist finds it to hang on in hope when it seems that the waiting has no end (81,82). Maybe you can identify with that! “How long must your servant wait?” he cries (84). But he keeps his heart steady by reminding himself that God’s Word is eternal and that his faithfulness also “continues through all generations” (89,90). His way to keep sweet with God
and not to get offended by his trials is to meditate on God’s delightful Word (77,78), and to keep pouring out his heart in prayer to the Lord.
Apply
Are you waiting for God to come through for you? Write your own psalm to God and don’t forget to thank him when he answers!
Closing prayer
Bring to God any difficult situation that is troubling you, especially one that seems to have no resolution.
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