Psalm 119 Devotional
22 Days: Knowing is Loving
Day 17 (Pe – verses 129-136)
Your testimonies are wonderful; therefor my soul observes them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I opened my mouth wide and panted, for I longed for You commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, after Your manner with those who love Your name. Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me. Redeem me form the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Your law.
So often the things that we have to do in life are not wonderful. But in our relationship with the Lord that is certainly not true. Obedience, submission, and humbling are all areas that the Lord calls us to do. Do you not agree that what the Lord calls us to do is wonderful? Let us challenge ourselves here and contemplate the reasons why we obey the Lord. Is it because we love Him completely and totally, or is it because of what we receive from Him? A relationship with the Lord that matures will shift towards our obedience being based on our great love for Him (Hebrews 5:13-14). The more time we can spend in the word of God the greater our growth and the more our understanding of the goodness of God will grow.
The maturing that we can do in our relationship with the Lord as we consume more of His word changes us. The more that we know the more that we desire. As we see the image of “panting” in this stanza we can think of a great thirst. The maturity and the time spent in the word of God creates a greater desire for His word in each of us. Our growth in the word builds our confidence in the Lord and we come to see the reality of the fact that He cares deeply for us, provides for us, and will always care for us. The maturity and growth that the psalmist is undertaking, just like we can undertake, establishes us in God’s truth, keeps us from sin in so many instances, and thus we find ourselves moving away from the temptation to sin. We are sinners and we will stumble, and even fall, yet we can get up and continue to grow in our Lord.
Our sin does not have to claim control over us, God’s word tells us that. There is not anything in this world that will overcome or oppress us. Again, as we see from earlier in this section, maturity in God’s word can be our desire and that desire will help us grow and keep us from sin. Let us write down the areas of our life that are keeping us from God’s word and from growing and offer them in prayer to our Lord. Let us not find ourselves crying as we fail to keep the law of the Lord, but rather let us stand rejoicing in the light of God’s law. God’s word is good and perfect, just as He is, and both will always be there for us in the moments of our seeking.
My Lord Jesus I desire to always keep Your law. It is perfect, and Your words are and will always be perfect for me. Forgive me Lord for the times that I have not sought the truth of Your word, nor had any concern for Your will. You forgive, I know that my Lord, thank you Lord. Your word is perfect. It has changed me, and please allow it to continue to change me in the ways that You desire for me. Lord, please open my heart and mind to know that parts of my life are keeping me from Your word and attempting to draw me away from You. Lord may the desire of my heart always be for You. Thank you, Lord for Your great and perfect love, for me.