Great Prayers of the Old Testament
Part 31: Wise Ways to Pray
Psalm 139:1-24
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared September 12, 2025)
BACKGROUND:
*Anyone who has read much of the Bible knows that the LORD included many of His servant's prayers. The Dake Annotated Reference Bible lists 222 different prayers in the Bible: 176 prayers in the Old Testament, and 46 in the New. (1)
*God surely put a lot of prayers in His Word, and there are some outstanding reasons why. First, God is showing us that He wants us to pray. The LORD is also showing us that prayer is important, that prayer is powerful, and that He wants to answer our sincere, unselfish prayers. God also uses these prayers to teach us how to pray. And that's what King David did in Psalm 139. He shows us some of the best ways we can pray. Let's get started by reading Psalm 139:1-24.
*John Phillips explained Psalm by saying that "the writer was a poetic genius and a man who knew and loved God. God is referred to by name six times and by personal pronoun 30 times. The psalmist refers to himself 50 times. It is a song of profound spiritual experience. All such experience is, by its nature, personal and cherished -- the engagement of a soul with God. That is the same kind of experience the LORD wants to have with us -- personal and cherished.
*Verse 17 helps us understand how good the LORD had been to David, and how grateful David was to the LORD. There the King declared, 'How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!'
*By the grace of God, David had united the nation, defeated its foes, put its internal affairs in order, and settled down to be a shepherd-king to Israel. Then it dawned on David that the God of Israel, the only true and living LORD, the God David wrote about in 73 Psalms, the God who provided everything to David, -- still lived on earth in a tent!
*King David wanted to build God a temple worthy of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. He wanted to build this Temple as a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant that contained the Ten Commandments. And the King presented the project to Nathan the prophet who gave immediate approval. But Nathan had to quickly modify his approval when the LORD issued a divine edict in I Chronicles 28:3. There GOD said, "You will not build a house for My name, for you are a man of battles and have shed blood."
*David's son, Solomon would build that temple, but GOD would see to it that, since David was concerned about GOD’s house, the LORD would be concerned about David’s house. He would establish David’s house as a permanent dynasty until the coming of Christ. (2)
MESSAGE:
*Do you want a better prayer life? -- I am sure that most of us would say, "YES!" King David can help us because 1 Samuel 13:14, and Acts 13:22 tell us that David was a man after God's own heart. No doubt King David had a wonderful prayer life. And here in Psalm 139, the King shows us some of the best ways we can pray.
1. FIRST, BE SURE TO PRAISE THE LORD!
[1] PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS UNIQUE UNDERSTANDING.
*This is what David was basically saying to the LORD in vs. 1-6: "You completely comprehend me." Of course, God is omniscient. He knows everything about everything past, present, and future!
*Just consider the stars. Richard Wimer tells us that if you hold your thumb at arm's length toward the sky, your thumb nail is covering up more than 250,000 galaxies in space! And every one of those galaxies holds 100 to 200 billion stars! (3)
*But Isaiah 40:26 in the New Living Translation says, "Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away." I forget people's names every day, but God knows all of the stars by name!
*God knows everything about everything! But David saw the LORD's focus up close and personal in vs. 1-6. It's one thing to say that God knows everything. But it's a whole new thing when we say, "LORD, You know everything ABOUT ME."
*In vs. 1-2, LORD, You know my travels and my thoughts: "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off."
*In vs. 3-4, LORD, You know my ways and my words: "You comprehend my path (The word picture here for "comprehend" is like separating wheat from chaff.) and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether." (4)
*LORD, You know my travels, my thoughts, my ways and my words. Then in vs. 5-6, You know me better than I know myself! "You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it."
[2] PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS UNIQUE UNDERSTANDING. BUT ALSO PRAISE HIM FOR HIS PERFECT PRESENCE.
*This is what David basically told the LORD in vs. 7-12. "LORD, You are always near to guide and to guard me. No place can separate me from YOU!" Christians, nothing can separate us from our God the Father. Nothing can separate us from God the Son, our crucified and risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. BUT THE SPECIAL EMPHASIS HERE IS THAT NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, BECAUSE HE IS GOD EVERYWHERE!
*James Merritt explained it something like this:
-In vs. 7-8, death cannot take us away from the presence of God. So David asked, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there." Death cannot take us away from the presence of God.
-In vs. 9-10, neither can distance. "If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me." In other words, "No matter where I go, Your hand is there to guide me, LORD. And your strong right hand is there to guard me." Distance cannot take us away from the presence of God.
-And in vs. 11-12, neither can darkness. King David wrote, "If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall fall on me,' Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.'
*If we turn out the lights, the LORD can see us just as if it were twelve o'clock noon. And He doesn't need night vision goggles to see in the dark. He doesn't need sunglasses to see in the light. Nothing can hide us or take us away from the presence of our LORD God, so we can tell Him, "LORD, You are always near to guide and to guard me." (5)
*Wayne Brouwer told about a very sick man home on hospice. His doctor had come to see him that day, and as the doctor was leaving the room, the patient said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."
*Very quietly the doctor said, "I don’t know." And the stunned patient said, "You don’t know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"
*The doctor was holding the handle of the door. Then on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door his dog sprang into the room and jumped up on him with an eager show of gladness.
*Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice that dog? He had never been in this room before. He did not know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough. When that door opens, I will pass through with no fear, but with great joy!" (6)
*Christians, we don't know where the LORD plans to take us on the road of life. And He might take us to some very hard stops along the way home. But we do know that the LORD always does the right thing at the right time. And we do know that our Master will safely take us home to Heaven. So, one of the best things we can say to God is, "LORD, You are always near to guide and to guard me."
[3] PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS PERFECT PRESENCE. BUT ALSO PRAISE HIM FOR FORMING US AND FASHIONING OUR DAYS.
-First in vs. 13, "LORD, You formed me." Or as David said: "You have formed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother's womb."
*LORD, YOU formed me. James Merritt explained that David knew we are a physical miracle created by the power of God. . . David was saying, "LORD, I know that I am not here because of Mother Nature, fate, or chance." David knew that your life is not an accident. Your life is a wonderful gift from God! (5)
-Next in vs. 14, LORD, You formed me in a fantastic way. Or as David said, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well." We are "fearfully made." That original word means we "should stand in awe" at the complexity of our creation. We are also "wonderfully made." That word means we are a marvelous creation of the LORD. (4)
*The human body contains over thirty trillion cells. The genetic information contained in each cell of our body is enough to fill a library with four thousand books. So if you were going to catalogue all of the genetic information in your body, it would take a library big enough to hold 30 trillion times four thousand books. (7)
*Of course, it would take much less room in today's digital age. But the point is that we have a mountain of information in our bodies. And I am sure that the LORD is keeping up with everything in our bodies on a subatomic level. He is also keeping up with everything in the universe on a subatomic level!
*Britannica.com tells us that subatomic particles are the fundamental ingredients of all matter. Protons and neutrons are made up of smaller particles called quarks. Electrons, muons, neutrinos, photons, and gluons are other elementary particles. More than 200 subatomic particles have been detected -- most of them highly unstable, existing for less than a millionth of a second. Let me tell you that God can slice time a whole lot thinner than that! And we know this is true because God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created time! (8)
*We can never overestimate the GREATNESS of our God! Reader's Digest told us a little about how we are fearfully and wonderfully made. "Your body is such an incredibly precise machine that if it is working normally, you can do the following:
+Feel on your fingertips or face a pressure that depresses your skin only 4 one hundred thousandths of an inch.
+See either a small candle flame from 30 miles away at night, or 300,000 different colors in the light.
+Smell one drop of perfume spread through a three-room apartment.
+Taste 4 hundredths of an ounce of table salt dissolved in 530 quarts of water.
+Feel the weight of a bee's wing falling on your cheek from less than half an inch away.
+Notice where a sound came from based on a 3 one hundred thousandths of a second difference in its arrival from one ear to the other. (9)
*Your body is a physical miracle that can only be explained by the unlimited power of God. -- "Lord, You formed me!"
-Then, in vs. 16, You fashioned my days: "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them." That word "fashioned" is a picture of squeezing something into shape, like a potter at his wheel. And God is fashioning the days of our lives. (4)
*We have no idea what tomorrow brings, but the LORD certainly does. God sees around corners and over the hills, so in His care we don't have to worry. One of the best things we can say to God is, "LORD, You formed me and fashioned my days."
[4] PRAISE THE LORD FOR FORMING US AND FASHIONING OUR DAYS. BUT ALSO PRAISE HIM FOR THE TREASURE OF HIS THOUGHTS TOWARD US.
*David did in vs. 17-18. There the King said, "How precious (how prized and valuable) also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You."
*Charles Spurgeon explained that David was not alarmed at the fact that God knows all about him. On the contrary, he is comforted, and even feels himself to be enriched, as with a box of precious jewels. That God should think upon him is the believer's treasure and pleasure. (10)
*"God, You have the whole universe set before you. There are over 8 billion people on this planet right now. But You haven't forgotten me. You are thinking about me!" This is the wonderful truth God wants every believer to discover!
2. SO BE SURE TO PRAISE THE LORD! THEN TAKE A STRONG STAND FOR OUR SAVIOR.
*That's what King David did in vs. 19-22:
19. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22. I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
*Aren't we supposed to love our enemies? Yes, but we aren't supposed to love their rebellion against God. We must not approve, when God disapproves. We must hate what God hates. But we are supposed to love our enemies, because God wants everyone to be saved! The Bible makes this truth clear in 1 Timothy 2:1-8, where Paul wrote:
1. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2. for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
6. who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
7. for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle -- I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
8. I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
*God wants everyone to be saved! A man named David discovered this ultimate truth. He lives in a prison in New York State. And he is not likely to get out, because David is serving a sentence of 365 years. Some of you will remember how he terrorized New York City in the 1970s. He was the serial killer known as "Son of Sam." David Berkowitz was caught after he murdered 6 people and wounded several more.
*If anybody ever seemed beyond hope, it was David Berkowitz. But one day another inmate began to tell David that God loved him. He told David that God was ready to forgive all of his sins, even the murders he had committed.
*Then someone gave David a Gideon New Testament that also included the book of Psalms. Berkowitz ignored it for a long time, but one night in his cell, he picked it up and began reading Psalm 34. Listen to the first six verses of that Scripture:
1. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
*By the time David Berkowitz got to vs. 6, his heart melted, and he later gave this testimony about that memorable night: "It was at that moment, in 1987, that I began to pour out my heart to God. Everything seemed to hit me at once: The guilt from what I did. The disgust at what I had become.
*Late that night in my cold cell, I got down on my knees and I began to cry to Jesus Christ. I told Him that I was sick and tired of doing evil. I asked Jesus to forgive me for all my sins. I spent a good while on my knees praying to Him.
*When I got up it felt as if a very heavy but invisible chain that had been around me for so many years was broken. A peace flooded over me. I did not understand what was happening. But in my heart I just knew that my life, somehow, was going to be different." Now David Berkowitz leads Bible studies inside the walls of his prison. And he has devoted the rest of his life in prison to reach more people for Jesus Christ. (11)
*The New Testament shows us the right balance between godly love and hate. In Acts 26:27-29, Paul witnessed to corrupt King Agrippa, and said:
27. "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.''
28. Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian.''
29. And Paul said, "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.''
*Then, in Romans 5:9-10, Paul reminds us that we all were once enemies of God. Speaking to Christians there, Paul said:
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
*Next, in Romans 12:19-21, Paul tells us how to treat our enemies:
19. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,'' says the Lord.
20. "Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.''
21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
*But James 4:1-4 warns us against friendship with the world:
1. Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
2. You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
3. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
3. TAKE A STRONG STAND FOR OUR SAVIOR. THEN PRAY FOR THE LORD TO KEEP SEARCHING AND STEERING OUR LIVES.
*This is the way David prayed in vs. 23-24, And he wound up just where he started. In vs. 1 the King declared, "O LORD, You have searched me and known me." Then in vs. 23 David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart." David was basically saying, "God, keep doing what you have been doing in my life."
*But then David went on. He wanted to go farther with the LORD. He wanted to go deeper. So in vs. 23-24, King David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me (examine me, investigate me, test me, prove me), and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked way in me . . ."
*In other words, "LORD, keep searching ever deeper in my soul." But also in vs. 24, keep steering me: "Lead me in the way everlasting." God, I will never know the right way to go, unless you lead me. "Lead me in the way EVERLASTING." That's all the way to the place that I could never see or find on my own. Lead me all the way to Heaven. Lead me to everlasting life.
*David never would have made it without his faith in the future Messiah Jesus Christ. And you will never make it to Heaven without Jesus. He shows us the way. He is the Way. Jesus took our sins on the cross when He died for us. And now the Risen Savior will lead you in the way everlasting. If you will receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He will give you the gift of eternal life. He will also lead you every day along the way there. That is the most important truth you will ever receive from God's Word.
CONCLUSION:
*But the supreme truth in this Psalm is the infinite greatness of the LORD our God. No one can overestimate the greatness of our God. His power is unlimited! His presence is unlimited! God the Holy Spirit is GOD EVERYWHERE! Also remember that God's knowledge of all things past president and future is unlimited. The LORD knows it all. And our infinite God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is the same miracle working God that He always has been and always will be!
*One of my favorite miracle stories is from Jan Ramsey. My wife Mary used to work at Lakeshore School with Jan. I think she was a member of First Baptist Church in Swartz. Jan gave this prayer testimony about her dad, James, and I think he was 81 at the time.
*One day Dad was on a 4-wheeler spraying grass around their catfish pond. Suddenly, the 4-wheeler flipped over and threw James into pond. That was a giant emergency because James couldn’t swim. He was over his head, and went down 4 or 5 times.
*James fought and thrashed around, but in his panic, he was only getting farther from the bank. That old man was completely worn out when he noticed a willow tree hanging low over the water. It was about 40 feet away, and James prayed this prayer, "Now God, -- either you’re going to have to take me home or let me get to that willow tree."
*James said he went down again but when he came up, he was under that willow tree! He grabbed it and started yelling for help. Their Labrador retriever jumped in first. Every time James’ head would go down, the dog pushed his chin up, and the dog stayed with him until James’ relatives pulled him to safety.
*God surely answered James' prayer in a miraculous way. And after that James said that God had something else for him to do in this world. Christians: As long as we are in this world, God has things for us to do too! And one of the most important things is pray. Pray like David, knowing that we can trust our Heavenly Father to always answer at the right time in the right way. Pray like David, always giving all the glory to God.
*And if you have never prayed to receive our crucified and risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that is the most important prayer you need to pray! Call on Jesus to save you right now, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) DAKE ANNOTATED REFERENCE BIBLE - Dake Publishing - https://www.hopefaithprayer.com/prayernew/222-prayers-of-the-bible/
(2) Sources:
-Adapted from EXPLORING PSALMS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications Grand Rapids - Psalm 139: "From Everlasting Thou Art God" - Downloaded from "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
-THE JEWISH VIRTUAL LIBRARY: "The Jewish Temples: The First Temple - Solomon’s Temple" - https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-first-temple-solomon-s-temple
(3) KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 34700 - SOURCE: Wit And Wisdom at http://www.witandwisdom.org by Richard G. Wimer - TITLE: Billions And Billions - DATE: 5/31/07 (Source: Popular Science TV Program
(4) Sources:
-BROWN-DRIVER-BRIGGS' HEBREW DEFINITIONS - Published in 1906; public domain- Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-STRONG'S HEBREW AND GREEK DICTIONARIES - from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. - Published in 1890; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(5) Adapted from ChristianGlobe.com sermon "Our God Is an Awesome God" by James Merritt - Psalm 139:1-24
(6) Adapted from "Funeral Messages from Wayne Brouwer" - "A Quality-Built House" - A Funeral for an Elderly Man - Romans 8:28, 31, 36, 3 7-39; 2 Corinthians 5:1-4, 6-7
(7) Herbert J. Myles, The Evangelical Dilemma, pp. 136-137. (Adapted from ChristianGlobe.com sermon "Our God Is an Awesome God" by James Merritt - Psalm 139:1-24
(8) Britannica.com - Physics - Subatomic Particle - Last Updated: Aug 5, 2025 - https://www.britannica.com/science/subatomic-particle
(9) Cited by Reader's Digest. Adapted from ChristianGlobe.com sermon "Our God Is an Awesome God" by James Merritt - Psalm 139:1-24
(10) Charles H. Spurgeon, THE TREASURY OF DAVID, Psalm 139:17, Published in 1869-1885; public domain - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(11) Sources:
-SermonCentral illustration contributed by Brian La Croix
-SermonCentral illustration contributed by Karl Eckhoff
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berkowitz
