Worship When Your Wood Is Wet

You may have heard the old expression, “If that does not light your fire, then your wood is too wet!” Actually, that expression describes a soul so dry, it cannot get excited about anything. It is a common condition. For some, it is an on-going condition. The eleventh section of Psalm 119 addresses this condition. The eleventh letter in the Hebrew alphabet is kaph, and the prayer is found in 119:81 – 88.

The first three lines describe the condition with a simple request, “My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, ‘When will you comfort me?’ For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.” The simple request is echoed in 119:84, “How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me?” The questions “when…how long?” are asked often in prayers, especially when your wood is wet.

Delays in God’s timing are only from our perspective, not from God’s. We are limited within time constraints, which equates to delays. But God works according to the counsel of His own will, for His own purpose, according to His own word, and in a particular order, His timing. During those times of delay, your soul can feel like it is drying up, like everything is soaked in worship-quenching anxiety and fear. This is very real, more often for some than for others. So, how do you pray when you can’t pray? This section will guide you through those times.

The word “longs” in the first line is the Hebrew word kalah. This is a root word with several variations of meaning. The basic meaning is to hold back, or to delay. It also has the meaning of something that has come to completion in a positive sense, and something that has been totally depleted or consumed in a negative sense. For the psalmist, who is described as a wineskin in the smoke, this word is understood with a combination of all three; a delay, a completion, and a total depletion.

In the sense of delay, it describes waiting for an answer from God. The question, “when…how long?” points to this meaning of the word. In the understanding of completion, it points to God’s salvation, God’s promise and faith that God has provided fully all that is needed in order to overcome. The psalmist believes in what God has promised and the fullness of the answer. The depletion is understood as descriptive of the condition. This is a prayer that you pray when you feel like you are at the end of your rope; all options are depleted; all you have is God’s promise, and your feeling of total exhaustion.

The Apostle Paul knew that condition and heard the Lord say to him in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” His confession was “…I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10.

Praying through those times of longing, delays, and exhaustion is done with a total dependency and focus upon God’s word. You will not have words at a time like that. All your words will have been dried up in the fire, like the wineskin in the smoke. But God has words for you to pray in 119:81 – 88. And you can pray them with confidence that the Father hears and answers. He gives words for your confession. He gives words for your longings. He gives words that are sure and steadfast. His word gives life!

As you regularly pray through Psalm 119, you may not feel totally depleted when you come to the kaph section, but you will know someone who is and can intercede for them with this powerful prayer. God loves this prayer because He loves hearing His own word, from His own child, and will work out His own will in His own good time. Thank Him for it, today. As you do, you will be worshiping the Father in spirit and truth, even if your wood is wet.