Psalm 119:33 - 40

I don't know if you've ever read Psalm 119 before. It's one of my favorites. It's the longest Psalm at 176 verses. I love it because the author is praising God for His word, the Bible. The author revels in the ability to know the mind of God through the Bible. I cherish this ability too. Of course the complete totality of all that God is, is not revealed in the Bible. But the key points of His character and purpose are made clear. No matter how old or young a believer is, you can read the Bible and understand it. Of course you may not understand all of it right away, but the central themes are clear. If you don't make it a habit to read the Bible, I would strongly encourage you to consider it. You will probably be surprised by what you discover.

Today I read the section 119:33-40. A couple of key verses for me were:

³⁴Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law
And keep it with all my heart.

This is my prayer too. I want to know God better. I want to understand what I read. I want to follow His commands and example, because I want to be like Him. He saved me! How could I not want to follow in His footsteps. And I want to understand Him to the core of my being. I want to keep Him in all of my life, not just a part here or there. And of course He is the one who provides the desire and then fulfills it. It's such a pleasure to serve an all powerful sovereign king!

³⁷Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,
And revive me in Your ways.

I am so caught up in how great I am. I am relatively successful and respected at work. My wife and kids are great, and I have a comfortable house. It is so tempting to focus on how great I am to have brought all of this to bear. In reality God has provided it all. He has done so with a purpose. I want to be in His ways and purpose, not mine. I was dead before He saved me. And yet I am so tempted to throw away His plan and pursue my own pleasure.

A discipleship partner of mine this week said: "Jesus shows His power by His Humility." These words have been ringing in my ears all week. Lord help me to be humble and not vain! Revive me to know your word and to conform to your ways.