It could be said that Psalm 119 is the Bible’s longest prayer. At the very beginning, the psalmist notices the blessings that rest upon those who walk in the law of the Lord; and then, almost immediately, he begins speaking to God about his own life: “Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes” (v. 5). Nearly the entire psalm is a conversation with Jehovah about this desire.

Many well-loved verses follow: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You … Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law … Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven … Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day … Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path … The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (vv. 10, 18, 89, 97, 105, 130). How valuable the Word of God becomes to us! How necessary is its illumination for our feet and our path!

But then, after those high notes of gratitude, we come to the final verse of this psalm, and it is completely unexpected: “I have gone astray like a lost sheep.” With a heart-wrenching cry, the psalmist suddenly looks around and says, as it were, “How did I get here? O Lord, please find me!”

It is good for us to confess that, no matter how much we have appreciated God’s Word in the past, we are still prone to wander. This must have been a sorrowful realization for the psalmist. However, we also notice that he never broke off communication with the One whose ways he had been seeking. This strikes a gentle chord in our hearts as well. Did you once seek the Lord, but now you find yourself far from His pathway? Call to Him. Keep your prayer life active. The God of Psalm 119 stands always ready to seek His lost servants.