The Words We Speak in the Watches of the Night: Psalm 119:145-152

The Words We Speak in the Watches of the Night

Psalm 119:145-152

He cried, and cried, and cried again. His supplications had become so frequent, fervent, and intense, that he might hardly be said to be doing anything else from morning to night but crying unto his God.

Charles Spurgeon

How often do we lie in bed at night longing for sleep but the cares of life run through our minds? How often do we fall asleep only to wake up hours later in the middle of the night and nagging thoughts keep us from returning to sleep? It seems the night is a prime time when anxious thoughts plague our minds. But what if, instead of lying awake in worry, we redeemed that time and turned those anxious thoughts into prayer? Have wakefulness and disturbed sleep been given to us, not to lie awake in fear, but to plead our need for help before the throne of grace?

In this section of Psalm 119, the psalmist longs for God to come to his help and save him. He is crying with his whole heart (Psalm 119:145). He rises before the dawning of the morning to cry for help (119:147). His eyes are awake through the watches of the night, meditating on God’s promise (119:148). He says again, “Hear my voice” (119:149). He is persistently and repeatedly coming to God, burdened heavily by his distress. He is being persecuted with evil intentions by his enemies and they are closing in on him. The psalmist’s enemies were drawing near (119:150). But in hope he says, “But you are near, O LORD” (119:151). Derek Kidner says, “Note the realism of the double statement, They draw near…but thou art near. The threat is not glossed over; it is put in perspective by a bigger fact.” Wow. The imminent threat that has the psalmist crying out to God over and over is not bigger than God’s presence. The troubles that plague our minds and weigh down our hearts, that keep us awake at night, do not need to be glossed over either, but we must remind ourselves of a bigger fact and place our trouble in perspective. We need to take our trouble and acknowledge the sorrow, grief, confusion, hardship, and difficulty it is causing us, then we need to say, "But God________."

It takes time and training of ourselves to take our anxious thoughts and in faith remind ourselves that there are bigger realities than the one we face. There are bigger truths and more sure promises than our fears. When considering the things we think about, we need to consider whether our thinking is complete. Had the psalmist stopped and dwelt on the nearness of his enemies, his fear and apprehension could have consumed him. Yet he continued on to say, “But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true.” I appreciate Esther Smith’s encouragement on this. She says, “Yes, it’s true that you are suffering, but what truth about God might be helpful for you to hold beside your pain? Yes, your problems are too big for you to handle, but what encouraging words are also true about your situation? Asking ourselves ‘Is this thought complete?’ often leads us to remember or observe thoughts we had forgotten or downplayed that are relevant to our situation” (A Still and Quiet Mind). We must train ourselves to recognize when our anxious thoughts are multiplying, but not stop there and idle in anxiousness, we must continue thinking and move our thoughts to the truth that outweighs our trouble. Let’s redeem those wakeful nights, and other moments, with prayer and trust in the Lord.

119:145-146 With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies.

Heavenly Father, I pray:

▫️I am crying to You with my whole heart. The situation that I long for You to answer me is __________. You see the heaviness of my heart. You hear the desperation in my voice. Please answer me quickly.

▫️Give me a longing to keep Your statutes. It can be easy to long for my will to be done, but I ask that Your will be done in me and in this circumstance.

▫️I am calling to You. You are my Father, my keeper, my protector, and my provider. I have no where else to go. Only You can do what is necessary. Please bring about what is good in ___________.

119:147-148 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.

Heavenly Father, I pray:

▫️Help me to be fervently and persistently drawing near to You in prayer, from before the dawn and even through the watches of the night. I cry to You for help. You see. You know.

▫️I will hope in Your word and meditate on Your promises. When anxious thoughts rise in me, or I feel overwhelmed by the distress of my situation, help me not to keep my thinking there but to press on to greater truth, bigger facts, surer promises than what my eyes see before me.

▫️Give me strength to redeem the watches of the night. When I am awake at night, prompt me to pray instead of worry. Guide me to think on truth that will strengthen my faith.

119:149-150 Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O Lord, according to your justice give me life. They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law.

Heavenly Father, I pray:

▫️Hear my voice according to Your steadfast love. Your Word says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15). Accomplish this for me, please, Lord.

▫️The trouble I face is very near. Sometimes it is literal enemies, but usually it is a troubling circumstance or a time of sorrow or distress. It is very near, and yet I have the truth that You will never leave me or forsake me. You will not let this trouble have the victory in my life. You will sustain and uphold me with Your own hand.

119:151-152 But you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true. Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever.

Heavenly Father, I pray:

▫️Thank You for this glorious truth. You are near! All Your words are true. You are so faithful and so reliable. I do not need to fear or know all the answers. I must do as the psalmist did. I must make You my refuge knowing that Your nearness is for my good (Psalm 73:28).

▫️Your testimonies are forever. None of the good promises which You have made to me will fail. You will fulfill them all. I have placed my trust in You for my eternal life, I will trust You with this temporary, earthly life as well.

May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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