Twenty-second Strophe—Psalm 119:162-176
169 May my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word. 170 May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise. 171 May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. 172 May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. 173 May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. 174 I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. 175 Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. 176 I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.
The last strophe of Psalm 119! I think it’s the big finish!
It’s filled with prayerful praise! He asks God for some pretty big things, but he does it right. He makes 10 requests in 8 verses! He asks for “understanding…deliverance…teaching…help… salvation… life… sustenance…” He also asks God to “seek” him. But he makes these requests “according to (God’s) word” (v.169) and so “that (he) may praise (God)” (v.175).
Isn’t that interesting? He requests God’s help to give God praise? “May my lips overflow with praise…May my tongue sing of your word…Let me live that I may praise you…” That’s solid. We will never become true worshipers on our own. Unless God helps us, we will never use our tongues and mouths and lives for the highest and most important purpose: Worship!
Why not? Notice that in the final verse we have a hint of the prophetic—a prayer for the Messiah to come: “I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.” He recognizes that even though he has “not forgotten” God’s Word, he is still sinful. He needs God to “seek” him. This is exactly why God sent the Messiah. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10)! He said, “…True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23)! I believe his prayer was a cry for the Messiah to come, to seek, to save!
Regardless, the fact is clear that the Father is the one who does the “seeking”. Our prayer—in our day—is not so different: “Seek us, Lord; find us; bless us with Your presence that we might be true worshipers!” Have you prayed this prayer? You may consider yourself a “seeker,” but have you ever looked up to heaven and asked God to seek you? Do it right now! Admit to Him that you are helpless and hopeless without Him. Thank Him for sending Messiah Jesus to “seek and save what was lost” (i.e., you). Then receive eternal life through Christ and become a true worshiper. If you’ve already received eternal life, then do what true worshipers do: Worship the Father—your Father—in spirit and truth!
