Psalm 119:57-64 – Living Our Faith

Psalm 119:57-64 (NIV)

ח Heth

57 You are my portion, Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.
58 I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
I will not forget your law.
62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.
63 I am a friend to all who fear you,
to all who follow your precepts.
64 The earth is filled with your love, Lord;
teach me your decrees.

Lessons

It is one thing to learn about faith, read about faith, and talk about faith. It is quite another to live out faith, which is the self-sacrificing commitment that we as Christians are called to follow. This passage of Psalm 119 instructs us how to do that.

57. Jesus – our Savior, our Lord — is our “portion”. Like a “portion” measured out in a recipe, He has been given to us carefully, deliberately, and to satisfy our needs. In response, we commit to obey his Word. Our obedience is a response to God’s gift to us (Jesus). God doesn’t give us Jesus because we are obedient; we are obedient because He is God!

58. We may desire to seek God, but we are unable to seek God with all our heart while we remain in our own nature.  Because our nature is sinful, we do not deserve to seek Him.  But despite this, God has promised to give us His favor (grace) so that we are able to seek Him.

59. Daily, we must look back over our “ways” of the day before and turn away from our path and turn toward the path laid out for us in God’s Word.

60. We cannot delay obedience to God’s Word. We cannot “obey kind of”. There must be urgency in our obedience.

61. It can be easy to be faithful to seek God and obey Him when life is good. But how about when life is tough? When we are pressed in by enemies (persecution, discouragement, job loss, health crisis), then where do we turn? These are the times we will most see Jesus when we seek Him and are obedient to His Word.

62. Our entire lives should be an expression of praise and worship. There is no time, day or night, when we God is not worthy of our praise.

63. There is a special bond between people who love the Lord and follow His Word. These are relationships we should be cultivating.

64. It is so easy to become downtrodden and negative about this world we live in. Surely, there is evil everywhere and “The world” will fail us. But God is good. He has left us evidence of His love for us everywhere. But we must seek Him fully, commit to obedience, turn from our ways toward his ways, urgently follow him, remain steadfast in trials, praise him continually, and love his people. But only He can teach us how to live this way … by His Word.

Applications

57. What motivates my obedience?

58. Am I seeking God with all my heart, fully understanding it is only by God’s grace (unmerited favor) that I am able to do so?

59. Am I daily looking back over the previous day and considering how my ways are not God’s ways, turning my steps away from my own path and instead following God’s path?

60. Is there urgency in my obedience? What does it mean to urgently obey?

61. Am I faithful to seek God in both good times and hard times?

62. Do I allow my circumstances to dictate my attitude of praise?

63. Am I pursuing the special relationships between people who love the Lord?

64. If I am having trouble finding God’s goodness, am I fully seeking Him?

Prayer

O Lord, you are good. You love us so much and we do not deserve it. Lord, please teach me your Word and help me to live it out according to Your ways, every day.