Psalm 119:57-64

Heth.

 The Lord is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words. I sought Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your word. I considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies. I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments. The cords of the wicked have encircled me, but I have not forgotten Your law. At midnight I shall rise to give thanks to You because of Your righteous ordinances. I am a companion of all those who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts. The earth is full of Your lovingkindness, O Lord; Teach me Your statutes.^[1]

I love the Word of God! I love it when it affirms and encourages me as well as when it brings correction. The writer of Hebrews tells me: “The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intensions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). It has a way of not only training and teaching, but also unmasking the secrets of our hearts.

I have the habit of highlighting, underlining, and making notations in the margins of my Bible. After doing that for quite some time I periodically find it necessary to get a new Bible and start my reading and studying all over again. I looked back through one of those Bibles to review what has struck me as I studied and came across one lone verse I had highlighted on a particular page. That, in and of itself, was not unusual, but what captivated my attention was what it said, “You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day I knew you” (Deuteronomy 9:24). I cannot remember with what I was contending that day, but it was God’s Word to me. Like the psalmist I give thanks to God for His righteous Word. What is He saying to you this day?

Mighty God, You are awesome in all Your ways. Your Word thrills me and encourages me. It strengthens my heart and gives me courage. How I long to find favor in Your presence. Give me a greater zeal to read and study Your Word, and greater courage to walk in obedience to it. Forgive me for the times I ignored Your instructions and followed my own way. Help me to confidently release control of my life into Your hands as I put my trust in You and Your Word. This I ask in the name of Your Son and my Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ps 119:57–64.