A Prayer to Live Well and Finish Well

A Prayer to Live Well and Finish Well

Psalm 119:33-40

Main Idea: To finish life well, ask the Lord to teach you his Word, help you obey, and increase your love.

When it comes to living a life for Jesus, it is crucial that we remember an important truth: it is one thing to start well; it is another thing to run well for a season; but it is altogether something else to finish well. Thankfully, when it comes to our salvation, we have our Lord’s promise in Philippians 1:6 that “he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” This promise, however, does not negate our responsibility to be faithful in our service to Christ until the end. We must work out our salvation (Phil 2:12). Our sanctification is a divine and human partnership.

Stanza He (?) (vv. 33-40) contains eight petitions that seek the Lord’s help in living well and finishing well for God’s glory and our good. Spurgeon is exactly right: “A sense of dependency and a consciousness of extreme need pervade this section, which is all made up of prayer and plea” (Treasury, 208).

Ask the Lord to Teach You

Psalm 119:33

The psalmist knows the divine Teacher is the master teacher. Thus he begins with the simple and straightforward petition, “Teach me, Lord [Yahweh], the meaning of your statutes.” There is a note of need and humility in his request. He wants the Lord to instruct him, direct him, and reveal to him the way of the Word. James Boice says this verse speaks of “matriculating in God’s school” (Living, 44). God is the divine Teacher, and we are his humble, teachable students. This is a school in which the wise person will seek to enroll.

Teach me, Lord, and “I will keep [your way] to the end” (ESV). The CSB has, “I will always keep [your statutes].” Ross notes the phrase may even convey the idea of reward (Psalms, 497). It could be worded like this: Learning God’s Word and keeping God’s Word are their own rewards. It fills our lives with delight, joy, and blessing. Further, keeping it completely or to the end multiplies the rewards! When God teaches, we understand; when we understand, we obey; and when we obey, we are blessed. What a great promise and motivation to press on and stay faithful to the end. Learn and obey the Word, and you will live well. Learn and obey the Word, and you will finish well.

Ask the Lord to Give You Understanding

Psalm 119:34

This verse continues the theme of instruction, learning, and teaching. Having asked the Lord to be his Teacher (v. 33), he now asks the Lord to “help me understand your instruction.” In other words, he asks the Lord to help him apply his Word in everyday life. The result is clear: he will obey it and follow it with his whole heart. The idea is with all that he is, he will keep and joyfully (from the heart) obey the Lord’s Word. He will hold nothing back. He wants God’s Word, God’s statutes, God’s instruction, to have its way with him.

Once again the Scriptures confront us with the reality of how important it is to love God well with our minds (Rom 12:2; Phil 2:5). Win the battles of the mind, and you will win the battles of the Christian life. Lose the battles of the mind, and you will lose everywhere else as well. Pastor Boice is right on target when he quotes John Stott:

Stott argues that anti-intellectualism is “part of the fashion of the world and therefore a form of worldliness.” He asks pointedly, “Has God created us rational beings, and shall we deny our humanity which he has given us? Has God spoken to us, and shall we not listen to his words? Has God renewed our mind through Christ, and shall we not think with it?” (Boice, Living, 48)

Ask the Lord to Lead You

Psalm 119:35

The Lord has taught us (v. 33) and given us understanding (v. 34). Now comes the petition: “Help me stay on the path of your commands.” Why? Because, having been taught and given understanding of your Word, “I take pleasure in it.” The progression of this argument is amazing because it is so true to our experience. God teaches us his Word, and through reflection, meditation, and study, we grow in our understanding of it. We see how the Word works in real life as we keep it and observe it with our whole heart. But we need help daily to obey it. We need the Lord not only to teach us; we need him also to lead us. Specifically, we need him to lead us in the path of his commands—good commands that we have come to delight in and love.

The commands of God are not a burden; they are a blessing. The commands of God are not depressing; they are a delight. Jeremiah 6:16 reminds us, “This is what the Lord says: Stand by the roadways and look. Ask about the ancient paths, ‘Which is the way to what is good?’ Then take it and find rest for yourselves.” Psalm 37:23 adds, “A person’s steps are established by the Lord, and he takes pleasure in his way.”

Ask the Lord to Guide Your Heart

Psalm 119:36

The issue of the heart is a recurring theme in Psalm 119, appearing several times already:

Happy are those who . . . seek him with all their heart. (v. 2)

I will praise you with an upright heart. (v. 7)

I have sought you with my all my heart. (v. 10)

I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you. (v. 11)

I pursue the way of your commands, for you broaden my understanding [lit. you enlarge my heart]. (v. 32)

Help me understand your instruction, and I will . . . follow it with all my heart. (v. 34)

Here the psalmist asks the Lord to “turn my heart to your decrees and not to dishonest profit.” He is asking the Lord to cause his desires to be inclined toward the Lord’s Word and the Lord’s faithful acts in his life. He does not want to be deceived and seduced by unjust gain. In other words, the psalmist says, “Lord, I want a heart like yours, not a heart like worldly people who exploit and take advantage of others, especially the poor. I need your Word as a medicine, a healing balm for my heart.” Spurgeon says, “He who is covetous is of the race of Judas, and will in all probability turn out to be himself a son of perdition” (Treasury, 210).

Ask the Lord to Direct Your Eyes

Psalm 119:37

The psalmist must have known that there is an intimate connection between our hearts and our eyes. He has asked the Lord to turn his heart toward the Word (v. 36). Now he asks the Lord to turn his eyes away “from looking at what is worthless.” He does not want to give his eyes, and ultimately his heart, to vile, vain, empty, and useless things. Perhaps he was aware of the truth that what the eyes do not see, the heart most often will not desire. Never forget that sin first entered the world through the eyes when Adam and Eve “saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at” (Gen 3:6). Guard the eyes and protect the heart. There is much wisdom here.

Ask the Lord to Confirm His Word

Psalm 119:38

The psalmist now asks the Lord to confirm his promise to his servant, which results in his fearing and revering the Lord. He asks God to act on his behalf so that “the divine promise would be realized” (Ross, Psalms, 499). Spurgeon puts it as only he can: “Make me sure of thy sure word: make it sure to me and make me sure of it” (Treasury, 211). Because God hears our requests, our reverence and faith in him will continue to flourish and grow. We will fear him more, love him more, and trust him more. His Word is our sure foundation; we will stand on it and not be moved.

Ask the Lord to Turn Away Disgrace

Psalm 119:39

Verse 39 may have verse 22 in mind. There the psalmist asks the Lord to “take insult and contempt away from me.” Here he asks the Lord to “turn away the disgrace I dread.” Evil men reject and mock those who love God and his Word. They ridicule them and heap insults on them. It can beat us down over time. It can wear us out. It can even sow seeds of doubt concerning the ways and wisdom of God. The psalmist, therefore, makes a request: “Deflect the harsh words of my critics” (The Message). And he makes a declaration: “Your judgments are good.” In other words, he is saying that others may laugh at and make light of your Word—denying its truth and questioning its power—but he will believe it and trust it because he knows a good God is behind his good Word. Others may despise the Lord’s Word, but he will stake his life and his eternity on it! After all, Isaiah 40:8 reminds us, “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”

Ask the Lord to Give You Life

Psalm 119:37,40

The petition for life appears twice in this stanza. In verse 37 the psalmist prays, “Give me life in your ways.” In verse 40 he prays, “Give me life through your righteousness.” The two verses closely parallel each other. There is no life or real meaning in worthless, worldly things. Life is found in God’s ways, and that is what I am asking for (v. 37), the psalmist says. Indeed, his ways are the ways of righteousness (v. 40). In his righteousness real life is experienced and enjoyed to the fullest. So the psalmist asks God to keep him alive in his righteousness. He asks that God not let him lose hope and drop out of his school of instruction. He asks that the eternal life he enjoys reveal itself by causing him to desire even more of the life God provides. He knows it is found in “your precepts,” God’s Word. He longs for them and, in so doing, loves life to the end.

Conclusion

The Puritan Thomas Manton is right: “It is not enough to begin a good course, we must go on in it . . . else all our labour is lost; the end crowneth the work. God that made us begin [will] also make us to continue to the end” (Psalm 119, vol. 1, 322). This is what our God did in the life of his Son so that from the cross he could cry, “It is finished” (John 19:30). This is what our God will also do in our lives as he directs our hearts to keep his Word to the end.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why do we need to ask God to teach us his Word? What has Psalm 119 taught you so far that can help you answer this question?
2. What does the commentary on this stanza mean by “win the battles of the mind”? What specific battles do Christians face? How do they win them?
3. How often should Christians pray for God to teach them his instructions?
4. How does the psalmist’s request to keep his eyes “from looking at worthless things” (ESV) help you think about what you look at for entertainment (e.g., movies, TV shows, social media)? Are there any principles you can glean?
5. Why does God’s completing his promises cause the psalmist to revere him? What promises has God kept in your life that help you revere him?
6. If real life is experienced in God’s righteousness, then how would you describe real death?
7. What are some common reasons some Christians do not finish well?
8. What types of prayers do you pray most often? How do these prayers compare with the psalmist’s prayer?
9. This stanza mentions that rejection can sow seeds of doubt. Is it OK to doubt? Why or why not? How should we respond to our doubts?
10. Are there any prayers by the psalmist that you have never prayed before? How can you commit to including one of these in your prayers this week?