“Let my soul live that it may praise You”
[Psalms 119:169-176]
God is our praise (Deut. 10:21, Jer. 17:14). The purpose of God's making us new creatures is to declare His praise (Isa. 43:21). If we look at Psalms 119:175, the psalmist said, “Let my soul live that it may praise You, And let Your ordinances help me.” Here the psalmist prayed that if the Lord would make his soul live, then he would praise Him. I would like to receive the grace given by meditating on three things about what we must do in order for our souls to live, under the heading “Let my soul live that it may praise You” based on Psalms 119:169-176. I hope and pray that our souls will live and praise the Lord.
First, in order for our souls to live, we must be the souls of prayer.
Look at Psalms 119:169a, 170a – “Let my cry come before You, O LORD … Let my supplication come before You ….” The psalmist prayed to God for his soul to live, but asked for God's help (vv. 173, 175). Here, the help the psalmist sought from God was “Give me understanding according to Your word” (v. 169) internally, and deliverance (v. 170) or “Your salvation” (v. 174) externally.
Second, in order for our souls to live, we must become souls whose delight is in the word of the Lord.
Look at Psalms 119:174 – “I long for Your salvation, O LORD, And Your law is my delight.” The psalmist chose the word because he was delighted with the word of God in a situation where God's help was desperately needed. And as he was drawn to the word fo God, he cried out to God. So he was sure that God would deliver him. In other words, the psalmist was convinced that he would receive help (vv. 173, 175) and be saved (v. 170) according to the word of the Lord (v. 170). Like the psalmist, we must have the assurance of salvation. In order to do this, we must be led by the word of God. We must be taught by it (v. 171). And we must understand and know His word (v. 169). We must rejoice in the word of God (v. 174).
Third and last, in order for our souls to live, we must become souls like lost sheep.
Look at Psalms 119:176 – “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.” Here, the lost sheep-like soul refers to the soul who admits that he is a sinner. Surprisingly, the psalmist confessed that he was like a lost sheep even though he had not forgotten the commandments of the Lord (v. 176). This confession means that we cannot deny that we are sinners because we have not forgotten His word, rather than commit a sin even if we forget the word. In order for our souls to live, we must have a good habit of always looking at ourselves with the words of God that we never forget, like the psalmist. In such a situation, we need the humility to recognize our sins and acknowledge that we are sinners before God and His word. When we pray to God in such humility, God will answer our prayers.
In order for us to praise the Lord, our souls must live. In order for our soul to live, we must pray to God. And we must rejoice in the word of the Lord. Our souls can live by prayer and the word of God. And in order for our souls to live, we must become souls like lost sheep. In other words, we must admit that we are sinners. Therefore, we pray that our souls will live so that we can praise our Lord.
“Since Christ my soul from sin set free, This world has been a Heaven to me; And 'mid earth's sorrows and its woe, 'Tis heaven my Jesus here to know. O hallelujah, yes, 'tis heaven 'Tis heaven to know my sins forgiven; On land or sea, what matters where? Where Jesus is, 'tis Heaven there” (Hymn “Since Christ My Soul From Sin Set Free”, verse 1 and chorus),
James Kim (With the desire to become a person who prays and diligently reflects on myself with the word of God)