In the fourth section of Psalm 119, the Hebrew letter daleth is used at the beginning of each line. Daleth (pronounced dalet) not only means door, but also calls to mind an impoverished person knocking on doors in desperate need.

Using this image, the psalmist calls out to God in his own need. He is honest about the difficulty of his suffering, while simultaneously asking for the strength to trust God and His instruction. He prays, “My life is down in the dust; give me life through your word,” (verse 25) and then, “I am weary from grief; strengthen me through your word.” (Verse 28)

It is important for us to remember that the Book of Psalms are meant to serve as the prayer book to Israel. They were written not to simply record a psalmist’s divinely inspired prayer, but to teach God’s people how to pray.

Notice that here the psalmist doesn’t hold back how he feels despite knowing that God will eventually “broaden [his] understanding” of the situation he is going through. (See verse 32) Through this part of the psalm we learn that our suffering matters to God, even if God knows how he will work out the situation for our good in the end.

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