Telling God You Love His Word

153 Review my suffering and deliver me,
     for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Redeem me and defend my cause;
    preserve my life according to your promise.
155 Removed is your Salvation from the wicked,
    for they do not seek out your decrees.
156 Remarkable is your compassion, Lord;
    preserve my life according to your laws.
157 Rage from my foes surrounds as they persecute me,
    but I have not turned from your statutes.
158 Regarding the faithless, I look with loathing,
    for they do not obey your word.
159 Remember how I love your precepts;
    preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.
160 Right and true are all your words ;
    all your righteous laws are eternal.

Psalm 119:153-160 modified to fit the original acrostic nature of this poem

Could we pray this Psalm?

Even tough the death and resurrection of Jesus frees us from living according to the regulations of the law, there is something to be said about respecting the wishes of someone you love. I don’t want to get tangled up in legalism. I’ve lived there before. It’s no way to have a joy-filled life. On the other hand, recognizing that the boundaries Yahweh placed on Israel kept them alive has merit. How many of those laws do the same for us? And now, we have the additional help of Paul’s messages and sermons Jesus preached to keep us within the safe confines of God’s love.

In every verse, the Psalmist recognizes the value of the Almighty’s precepts. Not only does he acknowledge them, he embraces them. This unknown writer loves the Word of the Lord. Do we?

If we cherish it, we would read it often. We’d never skim through or drift past a section we didn’t understand. Truly loving our Redeemer’s statutes would mean calling a friend when a passage seemed difficult or stopping and praying until the phrase makes sense. We would memorize sections, no matter how bad we claim our memory to be because we hold it so dear.

Do you journal it, meet with others to discuss it, read it daily, devour its contents, ponder, meditate? What does adoring the word of the Master look like in your life?


Check out the other parts of Psalm 119 I’ve paraphrased to fit the original acrostic.
Just click that tag or search for Psalm 119 at the top of the page.

Lynne

Lynne feels blessed to know Jesus Christ. He's her Savior and her friend, and because of Christ her life is richer. So her passion has become to help others discover their full potential in Jesus so they can have the best life possible! If you're interested in more detail, I invite you to visit https://lynnemodranski.com/store

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