God is Near

145 I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord!
I will obey your decrees.
146 I cry out to you; rescue me,
that I may obey your laws.
147 I rise early, before the sun is up;
I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.
148 I stay awake through the night,
thinking about your promise.
149 In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry;
let me be revived by following your regulations.
150 Lawless people are coming to attack me;
they live far from your instructions.
151 But you are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are true.
152 I have known from my earliest days
that your laws will last forever.

The psalmist’s cries of desperation are becoming more and more urgent. In this section of Psalm 119, the writer cries out at least four times, calling for God’s deliverance in the day and in the night. The psalmist’s cries for deliverance have become continuous, relentless. He won’t give up.

It seems the psalmist has reached a level of desperation. Yet each time he cries out, in his heart he expresses an equally strong affirmation of hope and comfort in God’s Word. And he expresses his unflagging commitment to obeying God’s decrees and statutes. Even as the psalmist’s enemies inch closer, even as God seems to remain silent, the psalmist puts his hope in God and his Word, and he commits himself to obey God. In obedience, the psalmist finds God’s heart and feels God’s closeness.

A life of faith includes moments when God seems silent. We don’t know why God doesn’t always answer immediately when we call. But if we reflect on all the promises God has made and kept—all lavishly recorded in his Word—we can be sure that God keeps his promises and will answer. Turning to God’s Word was a continual source of comfort and joy for the psalmist, especially in what seemed to be times of silence from God. And it can be the same for us.

We have put our hope in your Word, Lord; answer us when we call. Amen.