by Charles Spurgeon
145. I cried with my whole heart;
hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy
statutes.
146. I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
147. I prevented the dawning of
the morning, and cried: I hoped
in thy word.
148. Mine eyes prevent the night
watches, that I might meditate
in thy word.
149. Hear my voice according unto
thy lovingkindness: O
LORD, quicken, me according to
thy judgment.
150. They draw nigh that follow
after mischief: they are far from
thy law.
151. Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth.
152. Concerning thy testimonies,
I have known of old that thou
hast founded them for ever.
This section is given up to memories
of prayer. The Psalmist describes the
time and the manner of his supplication,
and pleads with God for
deliverance from his troubles.
He who has been with God in the closet will
find God with him in the furnace.
If we have cried we shall be answered.
Delayed answers may drive us to
importunity; but we need not fear the
ultimate result, since God’s promises
are not uncertain, but are “founded
for ever.” The whole passage shows
us: How he prayed (verse 145). What
he prayed for (146). When he prayed
(147). How long he prayed (148).
What he pleaded (149). What happened
(151). How he was rescued (150).
What was his witness as to the
whole matter (152). May the Lord bless our
meditations on this instructive
passage!
145. “I cried with my where heart;
hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy
statutes.”
“I cried with my whole heart.” His
prayer was a sincere, plaintive,
painful, natural utterance, as
of a creature in pain. We cannot tell whether
at all times he used his voice
when he thus cried; but we are informed of
something which is of much greater
consequence — he cried with his
heart. Heart-cries are the essence
of prayer. He mentions the unity of his
heart in this holy engagement.
His whole soul pleaded with God: his entire
affections, his united desires,
all went out towards the living God. It is well
when a man can say as much as this
of his prayers: it is to be feared that
:many never cried to God with their
whole heart in all their lives. There
may be no beauty of elocution about
such prayers, no length of expression,
no depth of doctrine nor accuracy
of diction; but if the whole heart be in
them they will find their way to
the heart of Gold.
“Hear me, O LORD.” He desires of
Jehovah that his cries may not die
upon the air, but that God may
have respect to them. True supplicants are
not satisfied with the exercise
itself, they have an end and object in praying,
and they look out for it. If God
does not hear prayer we pray in vain. The
term “hear” is often used in Scripture
to express attention and
consideration. In one sense God
hears every sound that is made on earth,
and every desire of every heart;
but David meant much more: he desired a
kindly, sympathetic hearing, such
as a physician gives to his patient when
he tells him his pitiful story.
He asked that the Lord would draw near, and
listen with friendly ear to the
voice of his complaint, with the view of
pitying him and helping him. Observe,
that his whole-hearted prayer goes
to the Lord alone; he has no second
hope or help. “Hear me, O Lord,” is
the full range of his petition
and expectation.
“I will keep thy statutes.” He could
not expect the Lord to hear him if he
did not hear the Lord, neither
would it be true that he prayed with his
whole heart unless it was manifest
that he labored with all his might to be
obedient to the divine will. His
object in seeking deliverance was that he
might be free to fulfil his religion,
free to carry out every ordinance of the
law, free to serve the Lord.
Note well that a holy resolution
goes well with an importunate
supplication: David is determined
to be holy, his whole heart goes with that
resolve as well as with his prayers.
He will keep God’s statutes in his
memory, in his affections, and
in his actions. He will not willfully neglect
nor willingly violate any one of
the divine laws.
146. “I cried unto thee; save me,
and I shall keep thy testimonies.”
“I cried unto thee.” Again he mentions
that his prayer was unto God
alone. The sentence imports that
he prayed vehemently, and very often; and
that it had become one of the greatest
facts of his life that he cried unto
God.
“Save me.” This was his prayer;
very short, but very full. He needed
saving; none but the Lord could
save him; to the Lord he cried. “Save
me,” from the dangers which surround
me, from the enemies that pursue
me, from the temptations which
beset me, from the sins which accuse me.
He did not multiply words, but
only cried “Save me.” Men are never
wordy when they are in downright
earnest He did not multiply objects, but
asked only for salvation. Men are
seldom discursive when they are intent
upon the one thing needful.
“And I shall keep thy testimonies.”
This was his great object in desiring
salvation, that he might be able
to continue in a blameless life of obedience
to God, that he might be able to
believe the witness of God, and also to
become himself a witness for God.
It is a great thing when men seek
salvation for so high an end. He
did not ask to be delivered that he might
sin with impunity; his cry was
to be delivered from sin itself. He had vowed
to keep the statutes or laws of
God; here he resolves to keep the
testimonies or doctrines of God,
and so to be sound of head as well as
clean of hand. Salvation brings
all these good things in its train. David had
no idea of a salvation which would
allow him to live in sin, or abide in
error: he knew right well that
there is no saving a man while he abides in
disobedience and ignorance.
147. “I prevented the dawning of
the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy
word.”
“I prevented the dawning of the
morning, and cried.” He was up before
the sun, and began his pleadings
before the dew began to leave the grass.
Whatever is worth doing is worth
doing speedily. This is the third time
that he mentions that he cried.
He cried, and cried, and cried again. His
supplications had become so frequent,
fervent, and intense, that he might
hardly be said to be doing anything
else from morning to night but crying
unto his God. So strong was his
desire after salvation that he could not rest
in his bed; so eagerly did he seek
it that at the first possible moment he was
on his knees.
“I hoped in thy word.” Hope is a
very powerful means of strengthening
us in prayer. Who would pray if
he had no hope that God would hear him?
Who would not pray when he has
a good hope of a blessed issue to his
entreaties? His hope was fixed
upon God’s word; and this is a sure
anchorage, because God is true,
and in no case has he ever run back from
his promise, or altered the thing
that has gone forth from his mouth. He
who is diligent in prayer will
never be destitute of hope. Observe that as
the early bird gets the worm, so
the early prayer is soon refreshed with
hope.
148. “Mine eyes prevent the night
watches, that I might meditate in thy
word.”
“Mine eyes prevent the night watches.”
Or rather, the watches. Before
the watchman cried the hour, he
was crying to God. He did not need to be
informed as to how the hours were
flying, for every hour his heart was
flying towards heaven. He began
the day with prayer, and he continued in
prayer through the watches of the
day, and the watches of the night. The
soldiers changed guard, but David
did not change his holy occupation.
Specially, however, at night did
he keep his eyes open, and drive away
sleep, that he might maintain communion
with his God. He worshipped on
from watch to watch as travelers
journey from stage to stage.
“That I might meditate in thy word.”
This had become meat and drink:
to him. Meditation was the food
of his hope, and the solace of his sorrow:
the one theme upon which his thoughts
ran was that blessed “word”
which he continually mentions,
and in which his heart so greatly rejoices.
He preferred study to slumber,
and he learned to forego his necessary sleep
for much more necessary devotion.
It is instructive to find meditation so
constantly connected with fervent
prayer: it is the fuel which sustains the
flame. How rare an article is it
in these days!
When do we meet with any who spend
nights in meditation? Have we done
so ourselves?
149. “Hear my voice according unto
thy lovingkindness: O Lord, quicken
me according to thy judgment.”
“Hear my voice according unto thy
lovingkindness:” Men find it very
helpful to use their voices in
prayer; it is difficult long to maintain the
intensity of devotion unless we
hear ourselves speak; hence David at length
broke through his silence, arose
from his quiet meditations, and began
crying with voice as well as heart
unto the Lord his God. Note, that he
does not plead his own deservings,
nor for a moment appeal for payment
of a debt on account of merit;
he takes the free-grace way, and puts it,
“according unto thy lovingkindness.”
When God hears prayer according
to his lovingkindness he overlooks
all the imperfections of the prayer, he
forgets the sinfulness of the offerer,
and in pitying love he grants the desire
though the suppliant be unworthy.
It is according to God’s lovingkindness
to answer speedily, to answer frequently,
to answer abundantly, yea,
exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or even think. Loving-kindness
is one of the sweetest words in
our language. Kindness has much in it that
is most precious, but lovingkindness
is doubly dear; it is the cream of
kindness.
“O Lord, quicken me according to
thy judgment?” This is another of
David’s wise and ardent prayers.
He first cried, “Save me;” then, “Hear
me;” and now, “Quicken me.” This
is often the very best way of
delivering us from trouble — to
give us more life, that we may escape from
death; and to add more strength
to that life, that we may not be overloaded
with its burdens. Observe, that
he asks to receive quickening according to
God’s judgment, that is, in such
a way as should be consistent with infinite
wisdom and prudence. God’s methods
of communicating greater vigor to
our spiritual life are exceedingly
wise; it would probably be in vain for us to
attempt to understand them; and
it will be our wisdom to wish to receive
grace; not according to our notion
of how it should come to us, but
according to God’s heavenly method
of bestowing it. It is his prerogative
to make alive as well as to kill,
and that sovereign act is best left to his
infallible judgment. Hath he not
already given us to have life, and to have it
more abundantly? In this gift “he
hath abounded toward us in all wisdom
and prudence.”
150. “They draw nigh that follow
after mischief: they are far from thy
law.”
“They draw nigh that follow after
mischief.” He could hear their
footfalls close behind him. They
are not following him for his benefit:, but
for his hurt, and therefore the
sound of their approach is to be dreaded.
They are not prosecuting a good
object, but persecuting a good man. As if
they had not enough mischief in
their own hearts, they are hunting after
more. He sees them going a steeple-chase
over hedge and ditch in order to
bring mischief to himself, and
he points them out to God, and entreats the
Lord to fix his eyes upon them,
and deal with them to their confusion.
They were already upon him, and
he was almost in their grip, and therefore
he cries the more earnestly.
“They are far from thy law.” A mischievous
life cannot be an obedient
one. Before these men could become
persecutors of David they were
obliged to get away from the restraints
of God’s law. They could not hate
a saint and yet love the law. Those
who keep God’s law neither do harm to
themselves nor to others. Sin is
the greatest of all mischiefmakers. David
mentions the character of his adversaries
to the Lord in prayer, feeling
some kind of comfort in the fact
that those who hated him hated God also,
and broke the law when they sought
to work him ill. When we know that
our enemies are God’s enemies,
and ours because they are his, we may
well take comfort to ourselves.
151. “Thou art near, O Lord; and
all thy commandments are truth.”
“Thou art near, O Lord.” Near as
the enemy might be, God was nearer:
this is one of the choicest comforts
of the persecuted child of God. The
Lord is near to hear our cries,
and to speedily afford us succor. He is near
to chase away our enemies, and
to give us rest and peace.
“And all thy commandments are truth.”
God neither commands; a lie, nor
lies in his commands. Virtue is
truth in action, and this is what God
commands. Sin is falsehood in action,
and this is what God forbids. If all
God’s commands are truth, then
the true man will be glad to keep near to
them, and therein he will find
the true God near to him. This sentence will
be the persecuted man’s protection
from the false hearts that seek to do
him mischief: God is near and God
is truer therefore his people are safe. If
at any time we fall into danger
through keeping the commands of God, we
need not suppose that we have acted
unwisely: we may, on the contrary, be
quite sure that we are in tile
right way; for God’s precepts are right and
true, and for this very reason
wicked men assail us. False hearts hate the
truth, and therefore hate those
who do the truth. Their opposition may be
our consolation; while God’s presence
upon our side is our glory and
delight.
152. “Concerning thy testimonies,
I have known of old that thou hast
founded them for ever.” David found
of old that God had founded his
testimonies of old, and that they
would stand firm throughout all ages. It is
a very blessed thing to be so early
taught of God that we know the
substantial doctrines of the gospel
even from our youth. Those who know
the eternal truth in their early
days will look back upon such knowledge
with pleasure in their riper years.
Those who think that David was a
young man when he wrote this psalm
will find it rather difficult to
reconcile this verse with their theory; it is
much more probable that he was
:now grown grey, and was looking back
upon what he had known long before.
He knew at the very first that the
doctrines of God’s word were settled
before the world began, that they had
never changed, and never could
by any possibility, be altered. He had
begun by building on a rock, by
knowing that God’s testimonies were
“founded,” that is, grounded, laid
as foundations, settled and established;
and that they were thus settled
with a view to all the ages that should
come, and all the changes that
should happen. It was because David knew
this that he had such confidence
in prayer, and was so importunate in it. It
is sweet to plead immutable promises
with an immutable God. It was
because of this that David learned
to hope: a man cannot have much
expectation from a changing friend,
but he may well have confidence in a
God who cannot change. It was because
of this that he delighted in being
near the Lord, for it is a most
blessed thing to keep up close intercourse
with a Friend who never varies.
Let those who choose follow at the heels
of the modern school and look for
fresh light to break forth which will put
the old light out of countenance;
we are satisfied with the truth which is as
old as the hills, and as fixed
as the great mountains. Let “cultured
intellect” invent another god,
more gentle and effeminate than the God of
Abraham; we are well content to
worship Jehovah, who is eternally the
same. Things everlastingly established
are the joy of established saints.
Bubbles please boys, but men prize
those things which are solid and
substantial, with a foundation
and a bottom to them which will bear the test
of the ages.
Back
| Home
| Books
& Articles |
Spurgeon
Gems | Pink
Gems
Devotional
Helps | Puritan
Prayers | Inspirational
Quotes | Inspirational
Poems
Audio
Messages | Assurance
| Prayer
| Praise
| About
Our Ministry