Praying the Bible Psalm 119:17-24
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Introduction
Introduction
Sometimes when we pray, our prayers seem to get boring and repetitive. We say the same old things in the same old way. Much of is actual prayer that the psalm writer was using as a prayer to God. Look at the word “YOUR” and how often it is used in these next eight verses. Then we will notice what is actually in the content of these prayers so that we can do the same thing.
17 Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.
19 I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me.
20 My soul is crushed with longing After Your ordinances at all times.
21 You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, Who wander from Your commandments.
22 Take away reproach and contempt from me, For I observe Your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit and talk against me, Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
24 Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.
Every time the word “your” is used, it refers to God. He’s talking to God! So let’s ask this question: How should we be praying as followers of Christ?
Pray for help in understanding the Bible
Pray for help in understanding the Bible
Sometimes the Bible is not easy to understand, especially when we read it with some of its old English language. The psalm writer prays for help when he says “open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your law”. Make sure you have time to spend with the Bible every day. We don’t have to read a lot of it; maybe just a few verses, or one chapter. But we should spend time reading and thinking about its meaning; to find out what God wants to know and how He wants us to live. So pray for help in understanding the message.
Pray for help in reading the Bible
Pray for help in reading the Bible
It’s important for us to read the Bible, but sometimes you really don’t want to do it. In verse 20 it says that his soul is “crushed with longing” for the Bible. So pray for yourself and for other people to have such a strong desire for the Bible that they can’t live without it.
Pray for those who reject the Bible
Pray for those who reject the Bible
It is amazing how many people neglect the Bible, or even reject the Bible when someone tells them what it says. The psalmist says that they are arrogant and that they “wander” from the Bible, which means they know what the Bible says we should do, but they choose to go in a different direction. Sometimes we do the same thing. So pray for yourself and others to not only read it but practice it.
Pray for help in living the Bible
Pray for help in living the Bible
At the beginning of this section, the prayer request is for help in living and keeping what the Bible says. Then at the end, it says that what the Bible teaches is “my counselor”. A counselor is someone who helps you choose the right way to live. When we want to “wander” from what the Bible teaches, we need a counselor. That might be a person who tells us what to do. But it should be a person should tell us what the Bible says. It is the Bible that has all the truth and wisdom that we need.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We have been talking about praying the way that we see others pray in the Bible. You say these prayers for yourself, but you can also pray the same things for people you know; that may be for children, family members, friends, or neighbors. The Bible is the Word of God, and people need to hear its message. So make it a matter of praying for yourself and others to know what the Bible teaches, especially the main message of the Bible: Jesus Christ came because sinners need a Savior.
Everyone is a sinner, and Jesus is the only Savior. Peter told the leaders of the Jews that “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (). Eternal life in heaven does not happen by being good, by going to church, by praying or giving or anything else. It only comes to a person who will believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and life and that no one can come to God except through Him ().