In most Western countries, about 75 per cent of people have sex before marriage. In my state of Victoria, Australia, the government has passed a law that prohibits giving advice to, or praying for, someone who has unwanted same-sex desires.

My society deems sex outside of marriage and sex between same-sex attracted adults as good, natural, and healthy. It views God’s demand that sexual behaviour be expressed only within the bounds of a marriage between a man and a woman, as restrictive and harmful. But the Christian believes that God’s laws—not just on marriage but on all things—are right and the pathway to life and joy.

This is the declaration of the psalmist in this next section of Psalm 119 (vv. 137–144). In different ways, he expresses that God’s laws are righteous (vv. 137,138, 144). They’ve been “thoroughly tested”, or proven right (v. 140), and are true (v. 142). Since they are righteous, they produce righteousness (v. 142), which is God’s gracious activity towards us springing from His character. Particularly, God shows His righteousness in His care and protection of His servant. To show this, the psalm alternates between the praise of God’s laws and the trouble and distress of the psalmist at the hands of his enemies (vv. 139, 141, 143).

We need never be ashamed of God’s laws. God is the Creator, and He has wired His creation so that it works properly when His laws are obeyed. This is as true for His physical laws (like gravity) as His moral laws (like sexual purity, humility, and love). God’s laws are “always righteous”, and that’s why it’s only in understanding and following them that we’ll experience true life (v. 144).

Throughout this psalm, we’ve seen the interplay between the psalmist’s delight and trust in God’s laws and his pain at the incessant opposition and mockery of his enemies. When we face hard times, we turn to God in prayer and the reading of His Word. Such is the experience of the psalmist in the next section (vv. 145–152).

The psalmist repeatedly calls to God (vv. 145–149). We must remember that prayer is the most useful thing we can do. A friend of mine said to me, “Tell God immediately when you’re hurt, suffering, or in pain. Tell God before you tell anyone else and look to Him for compassion, mercy, consolation, understanding and relief. Pray to God before you talk to others about your questions, issues, problems, crises, bad dreams, frustrations. Bring your deepest needs to God.” What great advice.

Like the psalmist, we would do well to join our prayers with meditation on God’s Word (v. 148). God is very near to us (v. 151). God speaks to us in the Bible and listens to us when we pray. And in turn, we listen to God as we read the Bible, then speak to Him when we pray.