Pouring out of the soul before the Lord.

Posted : 15 Aug, 2013 02:32 AM

Psalm 119:145 I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord, I will keep Your statutes.



146. I cried unto You; save me and I shall keep Your testimonies.





This is indeed the "pouring out of the soul before the Lord," a

beautiful and encouraging picture of a soul wrestling with God,

in a few short sentences, with as much power and success as

in the most continued length of supplication. Brief as are the

petitions, the whole compass of language could not make

them more comprehensive. Hear me. The whole heart is

engaged in the cry. Save me-includes a sinner's whole need pardon, acceptance, access, holiness, strength, comfort,

heaven, all in one word-Christ. Save me-from myself, from

Satan, from the world, from the curse of sin, from the wrath of

God. This is the need of every moment to the end. I cried unto

You.-What a mercy to know where to go! The way of access

must have been implied, though not mentioned, in these short

ejaculations. Hear me-must have been in the name of the allprevailing Advocate. Save me-through Him, whose name is,

Jesus the Savior. A moment's interruption of our view of Jesus

casts for the time an impenetrable cloud over our way to God,

and paralyzes the spirit of prayer. Prayer is not only the sense

of guilt, and the cry of mercy, but the exercise of faith. When I

come to God, I would always bring with me the blood of

Christ-my price-my plea in my hand. He cannot cast it out.

Thus am I "a prince, that has power with God, and prevail."

Here is the warrant to believe, that my God does, and will

hear me. Here is my encouragement to "look up"-to be

"watching at His gate"-like the cripple at the "beautiful gate of

the temple, expecting to receive somewhat of Him." Not a

word of such prayer is lost. It is as seed-not cast into the

earth, exposed to hazard and loss-but cast into the bosom of

God-and here-as in the natural harvest, "he which sows

bountifully, shall reap also bountifully." The most frequent comers are the largest receivers-always wanting-always

asking-living upon what they have, but still hungering for

more.

With many, however, the ceremony of prayer is everything,

without any thought, desire, anxiety, or waiting for an answer.

These slight dealings prove low thoughts of God, and deep

and guilty insensibility;-that the sense of pressing need is not

sharp enough to put an edge upon the affections. But are

none of God's dear children, too, who in days past never

missed the presence of God, but they "sought it carefully with

tears"-now too easily satisfied with the act of prayer, without

this "great object of it-the enjoyment of God?" Perhaps you

lament your deficiencies, your weakness in the hour of

temptation, your indulgence of ease, your unfaithfulness of

heart. But is your cry continually ascending with your whole

heart? Your soul would not be so empty of comfort, if your

mouth were not so empty of prayer. The Lord never charges

presumption upon the frequency or extent of your

supplications; but He is often ready to "upbraid you with your

unbelief," that you are so reluctant in your approach, and so

straitened in your desires-that you are so unready to receive

what He is so ready to give-that your vessels are too narrow

to take in His full blessing-that you are content with drops,

when He has promised "floods,"-yes "rivers of living water,"-

and above all, that you are so negligent in praising Him for

what you have already received.

We must not lightly give up our suit. We must not be content

with keeping up the duty, without keeping up "continued

urgency in prayer" in our duty. This alone preserves in

temptation. Satan strikes at all of God in the soul. Unbelief

readily yields to his suggestions. This is the element in which

we live-the warfare of every moment. Will then the customary

devotion of morning and evening (even supposing it to be

sincere) suffice for such an emergency? No. The Christian must "put on the whole armor of God;" and buckle on His

panoply with unceasing "prayer and watchfulness in the

Spirit." If his heart be dead and cold, let him rather cry and

wait as Luther was used to do, until it be warm and enlivened.

The hypocrite, indeed, would be satisfied with the barren

performance of the duty. But the child of God, while he

mourns in the dust-"Behold I am vile!"-still holds on, though

sometimes with a cry, that probably finds no utterance with his

lips, that vents itself only with tears, or "groanings that cannot

be uttered." And shall such a cry fail to enter into the ears of

the Lord of Sabaoth? The Lord has heard the voice of my

weeping. Lord, all my desire is before You; and my groaning

is not hid from You.

But why is the believer so earnest for an audience?-why so

restless in his cries for salvation? Is it not, that he loves the

statutes of his God; that he is grieved on account of his

inability to keep them; and that he longs for mercy, as the

spring of his obedience? Hear me; I will keep Your statutes.

Save me: and I shall keep Your testimonies-a most

satisfactory evidence of an upright heart. Sin can have no

fellowship with the statutes. As saved sinners, they are our

delight.

Lord! You know how our hearts draw back from the spiritual

work of prayer: and how we nourish our unbelief by our

distance from You. Oh, "pour upon us this Spirit of grace and

supplication." "Teach us to pray"-even our hearts-our whole

hearts-to cry unto You. Give us the privilege of real

communion with You-the only satisfying joy of earth or

heaven. Then shall we "run the way of Your commandments,

when You shall enlarge our hearts."



by

Charles Bridges

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