Giving God Reasons in Prayer
Psalm 119:121-128
Throughout the Bible we see the importance of prayer.
For example, when Israel was in the wilderness, desperate for water, they came upon water which was bitter. But Moses prayed, and God miraculously made the water turn sweet (Exodus 15:25).
Or when Israel was being attacked by a massive army, Jehoshaphat did not know what to do. So he prayed, and God brought a word of prophecy, which as Israel obeyed it brought defeat to the invaders (2 Chronicles 20:12).
Or when Peter was in prison, probably to be killed, the church gathered together and prayed, and God miraculously delivered him (Acts 12:5).
So prayer is of great importance. And in his word God has taught us how to pray. And in our next section in Psalm 119 we learn a truth about how to pray that I think many people do not understand.
So let’s turn to Psalm 119:121-128. If you need a Bible go-ahead and raise your hand and we will bring one to you. This passage in Psalm 119 is found on page 515 in the Bibles we are passing out.
Throughout Psalm 119 we have seen that the author is being oppressed by wicked men, and this is causing him great pain and difficulty. And in verses 121 through 128 we see him turning to God and praying about these men.
So let’s read through these 8 verses and notice what he prays –
121 I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Give your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me.
123 My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!
126 It is time for the LORD to act, for your law has been broken.
127 Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way.
To dig into these 8 verses let’s start with this 1st question – what does the psalmist ask God to do? As we read through these verses we see him bringing God two different requests.
First, he asks God to deliver him from these wicked men. You can see that in verses 121-122 --
121 I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Give your servant a pledge of good [that is, by delivering me from these men]; let not the insolent oppress me.
So he’s asking God to deliver him from these wicked men.
Then second, he asks God to teach him his word. You can see that in verses 124-125 –
124 Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!
When he asks God to teach him his word, he’s asking God to help him so see and feel the truth of God’s word that, as he goes through this trial, his faith is strengthened.
So in these eight verses he asks God to deliver him from these oppressive men, and in the meantime to give him such understanding of the word that his faith is strengthened.
But that’s not all the author prays in these verses. There is something he does in addition to bringing his requests before God. So let’s ask this second question: what else does he do besides bring his requests before God? As we read these verses we see that in addition to bringing his requests before God, he also gives God reasons for answering those requests.
For example, look at verse 121. The second half of the verse is the request but the first half is something else. Let’s read the whole verse --
121 I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors.
So why does he tell God “I have done what is just and right”? It’s because he’s giving God a reason for why God should answer his prayer. He’s saying: “because I have done what is just and right; therefore do not leave me to my oppressors.”
Now let’s be careful here. This could be terribly misunderstood. He is not saying that his own goodness has earned an answer from God. No, God’s Word is clear that because of our sin we can never be good enough to earn anything from God.
The Bible is clear that the only way we can receive anything good from God is not by being good enough to deserve it, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ lived the perfectly righteous life we should have lived, and he was punished with the punishment that we deserved for our sins.
And so when an Old Testament believer trusted in God’s mercy that trust connected him with what Jesus would do. And when we New Testament believers trust in Jesus Christ that trust connects us with what Jesus did do. And so it’s not by works or by our own goodness that we receive good from God; it’s by faith alone.
But if that’s true then what is the psalmist saying? He’s not saying “because I have done what is just and right, therefore you owe me deliverance from my oppressors.” What he is saying is “because I have done what is just and right, that shows that I have genuine faith, faith which joins me to your mercy. So, since I’m joined to your mercy by faith alone I ask that in your mercy you would deliver me from my oppressors.”
Do you see the difference?
Then in verse 123 we see him giving God a reason for why God should teach him his word and strengthen his faith --
123 My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
124 [therefore] Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.
So this time the reason is: “God, look at how much I long for you! Respond to me in your mercy and strengthen my faith through your word!”
He gives another reason in verse 125 --
125 I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!
Again, it’s not that being God’s servant has earned him this answer to his prayers. It’s that his being God’s servant shows that he has the genuine faith which connects him to God’s grace. And because he’s connected to God’s grace by faith alone, therefore it’s right for God to pour out the grace of answering his prayer.
More reasons are given in verses 126-128 --
126 It is time for the LORD to act [that’s another way of giving a request; and here’s the reason], for your law has been broken.
In other words: “holy God, look at how people are mocking your glorious law. For the sake of your name and your glory, take action!”
And then he goes on –
127 Therefore [my faithfulness amidst this culture of godlessness shows that] I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.
128 Therefore [and it shows that] I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way.
So even though people are breaking God’s law, his faithfulness to God’s law in that godless culture shows the genuineness of his faith -- the faith that connects him to God’s mercy through Christ -- which is why God should pour out upon him the mercy of answering his prayer.
So notice in these eight verses that the author doesn’t just bring requests to God. He also gives God reasons for why God should answer those requests.
But is this really how we are all supposed to pray? Maybe this is just how he prays. So let’s ask –are we all supposed to pray like this?
Keep in mind that the book of Psalms is the prayer book for all of God’s people. All of Israel would use the book of Psalms to help them pray and worship. So the Holy Spirit inspired the author of Psalm 119 to write these words, because he wanted all of his people to bring to God both requests, and reasons for why God should answer those requests.
But let me show you another reason. Turn to the Lord’s prayer in Luke 11:2-4 (page 869). Look at how Jesus teaches us to pray –
2 And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation."
Notice in verse four, that Jesus has us giving God a reason for why he should forgive our sins. And the reason is because we forgive everyone who sins against us.
Now again, it’s not that because we forgive others we deserve being forgiven by God. It’s that when we forgive others for Christ’s sake, that shows that we have genuine faith in Christ. And because we have genuine faith in Christ, we are connected to all that Christ did on the cross, which is why God can forgive us.
So right here in the Lord’s prayer Jesus teaches us not just to bring God requests, but also to give him reasons for why he should answer those requests.
So with that in mind let’s turn back to Psalm 119. Here in verses 121 through 128 we see that the psalmist brings to God both his requests, and reasons for why God should fulfill those requests.
But my guess is that many of us don’t do this. We are comfortable bringing our requests before God like –
- Save my neighbor!
- Strengthen my faith!
- Strengthen the brothers and sisters in my home group!
But how often do we give God reasons for why he should answer our requests?
How often do we pray --
- Save my neighbor -- for the glory of your name!
- Strengthen my faith -- because I long for more of you!
- Strengthen the brothers and sisters in my home group -- so lost people will be brought to faith!
That might feel awkward, but that’s how Jesus taught us to pray. That’s how the psalmist prays. And that’s how people pray throughout the Bible.
So what I want to do this morning is persuade you to start praying this way. And I think one of the best ways to do that is by raising this last question: what benefits will come from giving God reasons in prayer?
First, when we give God reasons this strengthens our faith. To see this let’s compare two prayers.
Let’s say that you desperately need wisdom for a decision. So imagine the faith you would feel if you came before God and without giving any reasons but just repeated your request a few times -- “Father, in Jesus name, I ask you for wisdom. Please give me wisdom. Pour out wisdom upon me.”
But now feel what would happen if you repeated the request and gave reasons -- “Father, in Jesus name, I ask you for wisdom. Please give me wisdom, because you promised in James chapter 1 verse 5 that you would give us wisdom whenever we ask. Please give me wisdom, because my fight against sin, while not making me worthy of anything from you, does show that I’m trusting you. And please give me wisdom, because this will glorify your name as a merciful and gracious kind God!”
Feel the difference? When we give God reasons this strengthens our faith.
Second, when we give God reasons this stirs God’s heart. There is mystery here. But it’s clear that God in his sovereign mercy has chosen to have our prayers stir his heart to act. He wants us to pray in ways that will stir his heart to act. And the reason he urges us to give him reasons in prayer, is because these reasons will stir his heart to act.
So when we pray “Father, my obedience, while not perfect, shows that I have genuine trust in Jesus, which means I’m clothed with his righteousness and forgiven for all of my sins, so you can give me the mercy of answering this prayer” -- that will stir God’s heart to act.
Or when we pray “Father, save my neighbor for the glory of your name“ -- that will stir God’s heart to act.
Or when we pray “Father, pour out your spirit upon me, because I long for you, because I’m helpless without you,” that will stir God’s heart to act.
So when we give God reasons this stirs God’s heart to act.
Third, when we give God reasons this purifies our hearts. Let’s say you’re praying for your son to make varsity basketball. And you have good reasons for wanting this to happen, like how it would encourage your son, and it would open doors for ministry. But you also have some not-so-good reasons, like how it would make you and your family look really good.
And if all you do is just bring the request before God: “please have Johnny make varsity basketball,” then that jumble of good and bad reasons just stays there.
But if you think about giving God reasons, and list the good reasons for why this should happen, that will also show you the not so good reasons, which you can confess and ask God to remove.
So when you give God reasons this will purify our hearts.
Questions?
As you read the Bible, and notice people praying, pay special attention to how often they give God reasons for why he should answer their prayers. And then start doing this yourself, because it will strengthen your faith even more, it will stir God’s heart even more, and it will purify your heart even more.