If memory has the capacity to heal us if we remember truthfully and remember in light of what God is doing in this world, then reminding God of our condition is a way both to discover who we are and what is going on. So, the psalmist, though he has already done this, reminds God of his condition:
Here are his words in 119:49-56: “my affliction” and “the arrogant have cruelly mocked me” and “the wicked who forsake Your teaching” and “wherever I may dwell” and then this to top it off: “this has been my lot.”
Like the persistent widow of Luke 18 who “badgered God” for justice — that’s the image of the parable — so the psalmist reminds God of his condition and summons God to remember God’s very promises and glory are at stake.
I like the tenacity, the courage, and the utter honesty of this psalmist. Sometimes I wish he’d quit complaining, but I find the complaints express a heart intent on God’s best.
What do you think of the whininess of the prayers of the Psalms?