“Thus, I will praise the Lord”

[Psalm 119:169-176]

God is our praise (Deut. 10:21, Jer. 17:14). The purpose for which God created us as new creations is “to proclaim My (God’s) praise” (Isaiah 43:21). In Psalm 119:175, the psalmist says: “Let my soul live, and I will praise You; and let Your judgments help me.” Here, the psalmist prays that if God gives life to his soul, he will praise the Lord. Today, under the theme “Thus, I will praise the Lord”, I would like to reflect on three ways in which our souls can live, and through these reflections, receive the grace God has for us. My hope is that as our souls are revived, we too can praise the Lord.

First, for our soul to live, we must be souls that pray.

Look at Psalm 119:169-170: “Let my cry come before You, O Lord” (169), “Let my supplication come before You” (170). The psalmist, in order for his soul to live, prayed to God and asked for His help (verses 173, 175). The help the psalmist sought was internal, saying, “Make me understand according to Your word” (169), and external, asking for deliverance (170) and “Your salvation” (174).

Second, for our soul to live, we must be souls that delight in the Lord’s word.

Look at Psalm 119:174: “I have longed for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight.” In a situation where the psalmist desperately needed God’s help, he delighted in God’s word, choosing to follow it. He was drawn to it, and in doing so, he prayed, confident that God would deliver him. In other words, the psalmist was sure that he would receive help (verses 173, 175) and deliverance (170) according to God’s word (170). Like the psalmist, we must have the assurance of salvation. To do this, we must be led by God’s word. We need to be taught by it (171) and come to understand it (169). We must delight in God’s word (174).

Lastly, thirdly, for our soul to live, we must be souls like the lost sheep.

Look at Psalm 119:176: "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments." Here, a soul like the lost sheep refers to an soul that acknowledges its own sin. The remarkable thing is that the psalmist confesses that even though he did not forget the Lord's commandments (v. 176), he still went astray like a lost sheep. This confession means that even though we do not forget the Word, it is through the Word that we constantly reflect on ourselves, and this makes it impossible for us to deny that we are sinners. For our soul to live, we must, like the psalmist, develop the good habit of continually examining ourselves through God's Word, which we do not forget. In this process, we need humility to acknowledge our sin before God and His Word. In such humility, when we pray, God will answer our prayers.

In order to praise the Lord, our soul must live. For our soul to live, we must pray to God. And we must delight in the Lord’s Word. Our soul can live through prayer and the Word of God. And for our soul to live, we must be souls like the lost sheep. In other words, we must acknowledge that we are sinners. Therefore, I pray that as our soul lives, we may all praise our Lord.

"My soul, receiving grace, is freed from the heavy burden of sin. Now I see that this sorrowful world has turned into heaven. Hallelujah, praise Him! All my sins are forgiven, and walking with Jesus, everywhere is the kingdom of heaven."(Hymn 495, verse 1 and chorus)

James Kim, Pastor
(With the desire to be a person who prays and diligently examines myself through the Word of God)