6/10/2023 0 Comments Undistracted a wordThere is passion here and of course the longing is for the One who is revealed in His Word.Īnd then we see that passion with also the concept of fear and reverence. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments. Is this real? But it is real because he sees in God’s law and in God’s rules an expression of God’s heart and God’s character. I stop every time I get to that verse 20 I think, “Is this guy for real?” “My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.” Can you imagine one of your teenagers saying that to you? “Mom! My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.” (laughter) My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times. I cling to it I run in the way of your commandments. There is nothing ho-hum about his view of Scripture. There is nothing lackadaisical about his approach to the Word. There is nothing half-hearted about this guy. Verse 32, “I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart.” Or as one translation says, “I will pursue the way of your commandments.” I’m clinging to them, holding on to them. I am holding on to your testimonies Lord. There is nothing half-hearted about that. I cling to your testimonies O LORD, let me not be put to shame. It’s not enough to just obey God’s Word, he wants to do it whole-heartedly. Give me understanding that I might keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. With my whole heart I seek you let me not wander from your commandments. Five times he talks in the psalm about having a whole heart-the totality of a person’s being, emotions, thoughts, and will. Just look at some of the phrases that describe that passion. We'll talk about how we do that at the end of today’s session. I need to take steps to cultivate the love and that passion for God’s Word. But to think of that as a sustained passion and heartbeat of my life, it just makes me realize how much I need God to give me that passion. I will just tell you as we start into this as I’ve been meditating in this psalm for the past several weeks, I think this is a topic where I’ve been caught short a number of times because as I read these I’m thinking, “I don’t have that kind of passion.” I wish I did and there have been times when I have. So I want us today to just survey some of the phrases and verbs that describe the psalmist’s passion and his intense love and heart for God’s Word. I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law. I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil. In fact, love and longing and delight are three recurring words in this psalm. You can’t miss the sense of deep love and longing and delight that the psalmist has for God and His Word. It’s like every part of his being is engaged. When I’m studying God’s Word or meditating on it, I look for recurring themes or thoughts or ideas, and that is one that you can’t miss in this psalm. One of the things that strikes me about this psalm is that it is not just an intellectual or theological treatment of God’s Word, but rather it throbs with intense, white-hot passion. We want to start in God’s Word and want to continue to be in God’s Word everyday through the year. Nancy: We’re looking at Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, this week and next and we’re not going verse by verse through it but just looking at some themes, meditations on Psalm 119 as we start out this New Year. Leslie: Nancy is continuing in a series called, Revive Me According to Your Word. I will dream that I’ll be grounded in your Word. Leslie: This is Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss for Friday, January 6. I thought, “Yes! May we worship You, may we seek You with our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection.” Nancy: In his pastoral prayer he said, “May we worship You with our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection.” I just stopped and jotted that down. Leslie Basham: This is Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Nancy Leigh DeMoss: I was struck by something the pastor prayed at the church I had the privilege of attending last Sunday.
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