“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 HCSB
Will anyone say of you that you pray with passion? Perhaps you never pray in public so who can say whether or not you pray with passion. If you heard someone pray in public the way you pray in private, would you say of yourself that you pray with passion? The fourteenth verse of the nineteen Psalm is the “Amen!” to a passionate prayer of David. It is the final verse in this chapter.
For those who like theological terms this Psalm is a cosmological argument for the existence of God. It’s a Psalm worth studying if you are interested in apologetics. Apologetics is a religious discipline that focuses on defending the faith through a systematic argument. Like a trial lawyer giving a closing argument, it is meant to be convincing and persuasive.
The study of apologetics is also a faith builder or a tool that can strengthen faith. Psalm 19 is a wonderful psalm of praise. If you’re having trouble praising God in your private prayer life, personalize this psalm.
The Psalmist looks at the physical realm: the moon and stars at night, the sun and clouds during the day; the certainty of natural things such as sunrise and sunset; events that can be seen by men and women and predicted with one-hundred percent certainty and accuracy. The exact laws of physics and nature proclaim with equal certainty that where there are laws there must be a Lawmaker.
This proclamation serves as a springboard into God's Law. Since a Lawmaker must exist to create the physical laws of nature the question becomes did this Lawmaker make other laws? The answer is an obvious yes.
The psalmist declares that the Lawmaker is God and His law is perfect. His law is not an oppressive law but is a law of freedom, protecting us from harm and leading us into a life of eternal safety and abundant joy. The law of God should not be avoided so we can chase our own selfish desires. The law of God should be pursued as having more value than all the precious metals of the world; more valuable than the largest diamond; and more desirable than anything our flesh craves.
The law points out our unintentional sins and reveals to our hearts our hidden faults. The psalmist writes, “Moreover…”. He asks God to keep him from willful sins, the sins that carry the greatest weight of guilt and shame. These sins cause us to lie denying these sins. If what we do brings shame, embarrassment, and a felt need to lie and deny, then truly these acts are sinful. Our own hearts, our own consciences convict us of our acts and of our lies.
But the psalmist ends with hope. To seek God’s law is to seek obedience. To desire God’s law shows a desire to do what is right and live a life that glorifies God. As the psalmist concludes his prayer, he proclaims, “Then I will be innocent, and cleansed from blatant rebellion.”
Then comes the Amen! The psalmist wants more than praying just to say that he prayed. The psalmist asks, in his final, passionate ending to his prayer, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”
May our prayers be as passionate. May our hearts be as pure. May our Lord be glorified in every word, every thought, and every deed.
