Psalm 119:33-40 He
He - Prayer for Understanding
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.
Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good.
Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!
“He” is the fifth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet.
In our study of Psalm 119 we have noted that the Psalm was originally written as an acrostic poem with each of the eight verses in the stanza starting with the letter He.
Rabbin Deborah Brandt points out in her book “A Devotional Study in Psalm 119” reminds us that “The sound of ‘He’ is a mere exhalation of breath, it requires little effort, no movement of the lip, tongue, or mouth. This effortless enunciation symbolizes the effortless creation of the world.ld.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
—Psalm 33:6 ESV
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. — Colossians 1:16-17 ESV
Charles Spurgeon characterizes Psalm 119:33-40 as having “A sense of dependence and a consciousness of extreme need…” He concludes by saying, “This section is a honeycomb of prayers, Let us lift up similar petitions while we read, and we can be assured that prayers taught to us by the Lord in this way will be answered by Him.”
Oh, how we want understanding! This has become part of the fabric of our current culture, understanding. You just need to see the much-watched TED talk by Simon Sinek “Start with Why” and you will see our current addiction to understanding. But scripture tells us otherwise. Scripture says that we should start with trusting our Creator, and then continue to trust Him.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. —Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
I have a unique way of way of saying this at times to men. I ask them, “What do you think of a drunk telling you he needs to understand why he drinks in order to stop drinking?” Does that sound logical to you?
When teaching this idea, I have produced this saying, “A drunk does not need to know why he drinks to stop drinking. He just needs to stop drinking and then (maybe) God will bless him with understanding. But God never promises understanding.”
Do you see the lesson here? God has never promised us understanding on this side of eternity. We will have understanding in eternity when the veil is lifted but not until then.
So why do we want understanding so much?
It is because we are sinners. We want everything except dependence on God. We want formulas and not a relationship. We want a recipe instead of a relationship. We want labels. We fantasize to ourselves that it would be so much easier if we did not have to rely on God to provide us with what we need.
I will conclude this with these verses I love, again from Proverbs.
Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. —Proverbs 30:7-9
God, I have to admit that You never promised to give me understanding.. You are the God of all understanding, and I must rely on You. Holy Spirit, be my understanding. When I do not understand, give me understanding. Keep me from being anxious about not knowing everything but cause me to remember that You are all knowing. When I need counsel, be my perfect Counselor.
Amen!
Application questions:
Where do I tend to lean on my own understanding to find my way in life?
When do I idolize my own thinking and reasoning above truth revealed in Scripture?
When do I find myself pursuing things that God might not have for me?
Am I willing to pray for understanding when I do not have it?
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