In this episode, Malachi and Micah Herbster walk through Psalm 119:153–160 and uncover a powerful tension in the psalmist’s prayer life—two very different, yet deeply connected requests.

Twice, the psalmist cries out, “Consider…”

“Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.” (v. 153)
“Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness.” (v. 159)

One plea invites the comfort of God—a cry for Him to look upon suffering, to see affliction, and to bring deliverance.

The other invites something deeper—the searching, prodding eye of God.

“Consider how I love thy precepts…” is not a request for relief, but for examination. It is an open invitation for God to look within and test the sincerity of a heart that claims to love His Word.

Together, these prayers reveal a believer who not only wants God to rescue him in hardship, but also to refine him in holiness.

They also explore the psalmist’s confidence in the character of God:

“Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments.” (v. 156)
“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” (v. 160)

This episode presses an important question: Are we only asking God to see our pain… or are we also asking Him to search our love? Here is a rich and convicting passage that calls us to both dependence and devotion.