The old preachers would say, “God is not impoverished by giving nor enriched by withholding.” So ask!
Breathe in. Breathe out. Here’s the secret of healthy living. But for us it’s breathing out to God in prayer and breathing in heaven’s truth in His Word. While Psalm 119 is known for the theme of the Word of God and its role in our lives, don’t miss the “breathe out” part. There are about 70 prayer requests throughout the psalm. Would you like a divinely inspired prayer list? Well, here it is! We won’t have space for them all in this meditation, but here are some. The first is a sigh of longing: “Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!” (v 5). We may not think this qualifies as a formal prayer, but God reads our hearts’ desires as requests (Ps 37:4). This is similar to, “Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!” (119:10). He then gives a general request: “Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word” (v 17), leaving the specific answer to the Lord—a good idea when we know God loves to outgive our asking. But this one’s specific: “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (v 18). That’s one I like to borrow! He also states it on the flip side, “Do not hide Your commandments from me” (v 19), meaning, “Don’t let me overlook what You want me to do.” He also prays for protection from verbal attacks (v 22), for personal revival (v 25), private tutorials (v 27), inner strengthening (v 28), and help with tongue control (v 29). In his desire not to be ashamed (v 31), he prays, “Teach me… Give me understanding…Make me walk in the path…Incline my heart…Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,” and so on (vv 33-37). What a great checklist for the soul! Finding—and praying—those 70 heart longings would be better than owning a gold mine.