Verse. 145. — I cried with my whole heart. His prayer was a sincere, plaintive,
painful, natural utterance, as of a creature in pain. We cannot tell whether at
all times he used his voice when he thus cried; but we are informed of
something which is of much greater consequence, he cried with his heart. Heart
cries are the essence of prayer. He mentions the unity of his heart in this
holy engagement. His whole soul pleaded with God, his entire affections, his
united desires all went out towards the living God. It is well when a man can
say as much as this of his prayers: it is to be feared that many never cried to
God with their whole heart in all their lives. There may be no beauty of
elocution about such prayers, no length of expression, no depth of doctrine,
nor accuracy of diction; but if the whole heart be in them they will find their
way to the heart of God.
Hear me, O Lord. He desires of Jehovah that his cries may not die upon the
air, but that God may have respect to them. True supplicants are not satisfied
with the exercise itself, they have an end and object in praying, and they look
out for it. If God does not hear prayer we pray in vain. The term
"hear" is often used in Scripture to express attention and
consideration. In one sense God hears every sound that is made on earth, and
every desire of every heart; but David meant much more; he desired a kindly, sympathetic
hearing, such as a physician gives to his patient when he tells him his pitiful
story. He asked that the Lord would draw near, and listen with friendly ear to
the voice of his complaint, with the view of pitying him and helping him.
Observe, that his wholehearted prayer goes to the Lord alone; he has no second
hope or help. "Hear me, O Lord, "is the full range of his petition
and expectation.
I will keep thy
statutes. He could not expect the Lord to
hear him if he did not hear the Lord, neither would it be true that he prayed
with his whole heart unless it was manifest that he laboured with all his might
to be obedient to the divine will. His object in seeking deliverance was that
he might be free to fulfil his religion and carry out every ordinance of the
Lord. He would be a free man that he might be at liberty to serve the Lord.
Note well that a holy resolution goes well with an importunate [persistent] supplication:
David is determined to be holy, his whole heart goes with that resolve as well
as with his prayers. He will keep God's statutes in his memory, in his
affections, and in his actions. He will not wilfully neglect or violate any one
of the divine laws.
From The Treasury of David.
No comments:
Post a Comment