Confessing Eternal Truth With One Eternal Request

The twelfth letter in the Hebrew alphabet is lamedh. This prayer is found in Psalm 119:89 – 96. Immediately you hear eternity in this prayer, “Forever, O LORD, you word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.” God is eternal. God’s word is eternal. Your prayers are eternal when you pray God’s eternal word. This prayer reminds you and teaches you to pray with eternity in mind.

The confessions of this prayer go all the way back to creation. They also remember times of difficulty when God’s eternal word gave strength needed to stand under great pressure, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction…the wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies.” 119:93, 95. Many prayers are full of temporary requests and then are over. Prayer lists are notorious for this. Some will occasionally remember to give thanks for answered prayer. But Psalm 119 teaches to pray with confessions of truth, talking to God about what His word has revealed. This section reminds and teaches this important truth; God loves to hear His eternal word prayed from His child.

The one big request in this prayer is found in verse ninety-four, “I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.” The request is introduced with a confession; an eternal confession, I am yours. This echoes the first few lines about creation. The psalmist identifies with creation as belonging to God. Then the simple request; save me. The Hebrew word for “save” is yeshua, which means to rescue, to deliver, to save. It is a verb in this sentence, but it also used as a noun in the Old Testament; it is the name Joshua. In the New Testament it is the name Jesus. When king David and the Old Testament believers prayed this prayer, they had no idea how far their prayer was reaching into the future and into eternity, but it was. They were praying for Jesus Christ to come as the Savior of the whole world! Praying God’s word gives prayer an eternal reach, which pleases the Father.

The last line of this section is a powerful declaration of God’s eternal word, “I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.” The word “limit” is the Hebrew word qets, which means border or the end of property. The confession declares that the vast expanse of a single commandment from God is greater than everything that is beautiful and perfect in God’s creation. By a single word, the universe came into being. When you learn to pray God’s word and allow His eternal word to shape your prayers, your prayers will take on an eternal reach and beauty in God’s eyes. This is what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth