Psalm 119:33-36 "Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. (34) Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. (35) Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. (36) Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness."
As you know, the entire 119th Psalm is devoted to the Word of God and its
importance in our lives. It is the longest chapter in the Bible which again
speaks to me of its importance in my life. Today's four verses show us how we
should approach the Word of God. It is a prayer for the Lord to teach, give
understanding, and enable me to follow in the Word of God each day. Without
God, I cannot find the understanding that is found through God's Word.
The word, teach, speaks of the words of the Bible flowing into our hearts and
minds. We are taught to read the Bible from an early age. I admit to you that
there are times when I am more inclined to read it than other times. But I
cannot know what it says unless I give myself to reading it. I am of the mind
that there should be time allotted each day to having my Bible open and
spending time just reading the words. As we read, there are times when we might
say, "I don't understand what God is saying in this passage." Again,
I admit there are passages, as I write the devotions, that I skip because if I
tried to write about them, I would only cause confusion. It is for those
passages that I ask the Lord to give me understanding. He is faithful to speak
to our hearts, which gives understanding when we ask. "Seek (read) and ye
shall find. Ask (pray) and it shall be given." Then the final part for
today is the application of God's Word in our lives. "Make me to go in the
paths of thy commandments." Incline my heart (help me Lord) to apply
your Word in my life. Great joy is found as we walk in the paths of
righteousness that our Lord has set down before us. We are to seek, ask, and
knock that the door of opportunity will be opened for us to serve our precious
Lord.
He leadeth me: O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate'er I do, where'er I be,
still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.
He leadeth me, he leadeth me;
by his own hand he leadeth me:
his faithful follower I would be,
for by his hand he leadeth me.