“Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments” (Ps 119:164). No petition here: it’s all praise. And yet praise is a kind of petition. Praise seeks access and joy in fellowship with the One we adore.
Whenever I read this verse, I think of a visit to Chicago. It was a cold, blustery day, and I was waiting for a friend. Looking for a place out of the wind, I saw an antique clock shop. The proprietor noticed immediately that I wasn’t the well-heeled type looking for an antique, just a little warmth, and left me alone. But a few minutes later, several of the old clocks began chiming. I checked my watch; it was five minutes to the hour. Perhaps feeling a little superior after being ignored, I said, “You need to get those clocks fixed.” “There’s nothing wrong with them,” he replied. “Haven’t you heard of prayer clocks?” I hadn’t. When the clocks chimed each hour, people stopped for five minutes to pray. Let’s see, in an eight-hour workday, that would be seven times!