Today’s Devotional Thought:
“Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” (Psalms 119:33-37 ESV)
Psalm 119 is a love letter about the Word of God. The Psalmist is obsessed with God’s Torah and can’t stop talking about it, like a star-crossed lover. And that’s why it’s the longest chapter in the Bible! But Psalm 119 is also one of the most helpful psalms to pray during COVID-19. The Apostle John says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). So, the more we love the Word of God and meditate on his Word, the more we’ll be able to face the current world without fear.
For today, let’s focus on Psalm 119:33-37, going verse by verse.
Verse 33: “Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.” After all, we’re slow, stubborn, hard-hearted people who need God to teach us if we’re ever going to learn anything.
Verse 34: “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.” Again, we pray that God will give us understanding, so that we can keep his Word with our entire being. And this is a great prayer before you read the Bible or pray.
Verse 35: “Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.” We can pray either side of this equation. On the one hand, we might not delight in God’s commandments like the psalmist. Thus, our prayer might be, “Lord, let me delight in your law.” But at the same time, we may delight in God’s law, but we still need him to lead us.
Verse 36: “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” I think we’re all tempted to pursue selfish gain. But instead of simply praying, “God, don’t let me do bad things,” the psalmist asks God to take the reins of his heart to turn it from the world to God’s Word. This should be our prayer as well.
Verse 37: “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” Finally, the psalmist knows that he has spent way too much time looking at “worthless things.” So, he asks God to turn his eyes from those things to Scripture. And how much time do we spend looking at worthless things each day? Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Netflix. Amazon Video. DisneyPlus. We pray, “Lord, even if I’m not watching inherently sinful material, turn my eyes from worthless things to look at Christ more and more today.”
Ways to Pray:
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern
Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt