Our Very Near God

Friends,

As I’ve worked through Qoph, one thing keeps standing out to me. The psalmist is

praying. In fact, almost the entire stanza sounds like a prayer. “I cry” (145). “I call to you” (146). I “cry for help” (147). “Hear my voice” (149). And these aren’t casual prayers. He cries with his “whole heart (145).” He gets up before dawn to pray. He lies awake during the night thinking

about God’s promise.

I think that’s the great lesson of Qoph. The psalmist’s dependence on God has driven him to prayer, and his confidence in God’s Word gives him reason to pray. He isn’t praying into the darkness hoping somebody is listening. He knows the God to whom he is speaking. He knows God’s steadfast love (149a). He knows God’s justice (149b). He knows God’s commandments are true (151b).

But most of all, God is near (151a). That’s especially important because someone else is near too. “They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose” (150). His enemies are getting closer. But then comes one of my favorite statements in the stanza: “But you are near, O LORD”

(151). His enemies may be near, but God is nearer. Well, glory! (I’m hoping that becomes a

major theme of the sermon).

After all, that’s always been God’s desire and promise, hasn’t it: to be near to His people,

as in the Immanuel of Isaiah 7:14, and forever dwelling with us in Revelation 21:3.

So, this is the outline I’m using to study Qoph this week.

Our Very Near God

Psalm 119:145–152

Qoph

Big Idea: Because God is near and His Word is forever true, we can cry out to Him with our whole hearts and confidently hope in His promises.

First: Cry Out to God with Your Whole Heart (vs 145–146)

I’m struck by the expression “whole heart,” in part because that’s a theme from Genesis to Revelation. The blessed life is a whole-hearted life. The psalmist isn’t going through the motions here. He isn’t saying his prayers because it’s time to say his prayers. His entire heart is engaged. He needs God, and he knows it.

And notice how prayer and obedience belong together. “Answer me, O LORD! I will keep your statutes” (145). Then again, “I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies”

(146). He isn’t asking God to make his life easier so he can get back to doing whatever he wants.

He wants God to rescue him so he can continue living faithfully before Him.

Remember, asking God to change our circumstances just gives us another set of circumstances. What we really need is to know, love, and follow God in any circumstances. Circumstances always change. God is always the same.

That challenges me. The psalmist asks God to save him. But his deepest desire is bigger than relief. He wants to remain faithful to God.

Second: Hope in God’s Word Day and Night (vs. 147–149)

The psalmist’s prayer continues before dawn. “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words” (147). I’ve done that. So have you. And then, even when the day ends, he’s apparently still praying. “My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise” (148). Morning and night, he’s praying and thinking about God’s Word. I’ve done that too. So have you.

But notice the connection between prayer and hope in v 147. “I cry for help; I hope in your words.” His hope gives substance to his prayers. He can ask God for help because God has spoken. Prayer isn’t wishful thinking. Biblical prayer takes hold of what God has said and brings it back to Him.

And when sleep won’t come, he meditates on God’s promise. Most of us know what it’s like to lie awake at night. Problems can seem larger at two in the morning than they did at two in the afternoon. Our minds begin running through possibilities, conversations, fears, and things we can’t control. Here, the psalmist gives his mind somewhere better to go. He meditates on God’s promise. What a word for us!

Then notice what he asks in v 149: “Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life.” His confidence isn’t in the quality of his prayer. His confidence is in the character of the God who hears it. God loves him with steadfast love. God acts with justice. So he cries out, “Give me life.” Remember, as the last stanza ended, that’s what Christianity is all about; living as God’s people, not just knowing the Bible.

Third: When Trouble Draws Near, Remember God Is Nearer (vs. 150–152)

Here the tension of the stanza reaches its highest point. “They draw near who persecute

me with evil purpose; they are far from your law” (150).



That’s an interesting contrast. His enemies are physically near, but spiritually they are far away. They are near to the psalmist and far from God’s law. And that makes all the difference.

Then comes v 151: “But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true.”

The word, “but” is always important in Scripture and this “But” may be one of the most important words in Qoph. The psalmist doesn’t deny that his enemies are near. They are. He simply remembers something more important. God is near too.

You and I need that reminder. Trouble may draw near. Grief may draw near. Opposition may draw near. Fear may draw near. Death itself will one day draw near. But none of those things can make God distant.

And God’s nearness is joined to the truthfulness of His Word: “all your commandments are true” (151). Then the stanza closes, “Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever” (152).

There’s something wonderful about “Long have I known,” isn’t there? This isn’t something the psalmist discovered yesterday. He’s walked with God long enough to know that God’s Word lasts. He’s lived with it. He’s tested it. He’s watched circumstances change while God’s truth remained. There are some things about God that you learn from reading the Bible, there are some things you learn as you apply the Bible to your life, as in, “Long have I known.” Oh my. Sometimes we don’t like those experiences, but those are the moments that make us sincere, genuine Christians and prove to us that God is the God He claims to be. Those are the moments when he turns valleys into mountain tops.

And here is where the gospel meets us. In Jesus, God has come wonderfully near. In the middle of Isaiah 7:14 and Revelation 21:3 is John 1:14, which reads, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus entered our trouble, experienced our rejection and suffered for us, and then went all the way to the cross on our behalf. Then, He rose again, and before returning to the Father He promised His disciples, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Okay….now it’s shouting time!!! On top of all that, He has given us His Spirit, so God’s presence with us isn’t merely a comforting thought. It is a wonderful reality.

So I think the movement of Qoph can be remembered very simply: Cry out to God. Hope in His Word. Remember that He is near.

Some troubles may be getting closer to you right now. They may consume your daylight moments and keep you awake at night. Qoph doesn’t promise that trouble will always move

farther away. It gives us something better. “But you are near, O LORD” (v. 151). And when trouble draws near, God is nearer.

Thank you, my dear friends, for faithfully shepherding your CG and teaching them these truths week after week. My prayer this week is that you, I, and our people will increasingly become wholehearted people who cry out to God, hope in His Word day and night, and remember that He is near when trouble comes.

Well, That’s “The View from My Study” this Monday morning. See you on Wednesday night, DV. As the Lord enables, look for the sermon notes late Thursday afternoon.

In the love of Jesus for you and me, Pastor Reggie