Psalm 119 Devotional
22 Days: Knowing is Loving
Day 21 (Shin – verses 161-168)
Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your words. I rejoice at Your word, as one who finds great spoil. I hate and despise falsehood, but I love Your law. Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous ordinances. Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble. I hope for Your salvation, O’ Lord, and do Your commandments. My soul keeps Your testimonies, and I love them exceedingly. I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, for all my ways are before You.
The opening line of this stanza opens with a conundrum. We have in front of us the word of God, yet we also can have in front of us people who persecute us. If we know and love the word of God, then no matter the circumstance we stand in awe of God and His words. Persevering through everything will always be worth the victory that is found in our relationship with our Lord. Do we see the joy that is contained in these words of the psalmist? It is a joy that can only be found in the Lord, and it can grow as we spend our moments focusing on Him. Have you ever found treasure or a come across something you had been looking for? There was excitement and celebration. Let us have that same celebration as we stand confidently in awe of the words of God that He has given to us.
We want nothing to do with falsehood, we want everything to do with loving the law of the Lord. The time that we can spend praising our Lord and Savior is better than anything that we can even fathom doing. The goodness of God in our lives is presented to us each time that we focus in on and pray over the word of God. Loving what God has presented to us is truly having “great peace.” When we think about peace, think about it as having the presence of God, rather than the absence of trouble. God’s presence overcomes everything (Psalm 95:2).
Hoping and keeping are what we can do. Continue hoping on the word of God and keeping always in the word of God. The psalmist alludes to his soul as keeping the testimonies of God. Our soul is where life is. Keep God in us, where He desires to be. Let us pursue God with all of our heart, mind, body, and soul. We know the ways of the Lord and the perfection that they will bring. As we read this what are the things that we are “exceedingly” in love with. Our prayer will be to change our focus from whatever is not of God to what is of God and to what is present in His word. Walking the road with God’s word as our lamp keeps us from stumbling and it lights the way to Him. Desire Him brothers and sisters above all things. Seek Him with all Your hearts, and know that He is Your King, Your Savior, and Your God, who loves you dearly.
My Savior and my Lord. Thank you for Your great and overwhelming presence in my life. The peace that I have in You is greater than anything that I could ever imagine. Your presence in me has set me free and has pointed me to eternity in my heavenly home. Father, You have loved me, You have picked me up when I stumbled and fell, You fulfilled the promises that You laid out for me in Your word by preparing a place for me in heaven. I was not worthy, but Jesus by Your work on the cross You have placed Your worthiness in me. Thank you, my Lord and my God. I love you with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my heart.