Bmeandering

Bmeandering

Monday, July 11, 2011

Knowing God's Word




Did you know there was a Psalm that only had two verses?
I didn't.
It's Psalm 117.

But David makes up for its brevity
by creating 176 verses two Psalms later in Psalm 119.

I have been slow in my journey through Psalms
and manage one to three a week.
I am taking 119 in sections.
So far I've read 50 verses.

The first 50 are about following the precepts,
ordinances,
testimonies,
 commandments,
and laws
of God.

David begins with
BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, to be envied)
are the undefiled (the upright, truly sincere, and blameless)
in the way [of the revealed will of God],
who walk (order their conduct and conversation)
in the law of the Lord (the whole of God's revealed will).

A mouthful huh?
My Bible version gives interpretations of words
for clearer understanding.

Actually, at times I trip over the extra  words,
and have to reread the verse without them
in order to understand !

He goes on to write in verses 2 - 5:

Blessed are they who keep His testimonies,
and who seek, inquire for and of Him
and crave Him with the whole heart.

Yes, they do no unrighteousness
[now willful wandering from His precepts];
they walk in His ways.

You have commanded us to keep
Your precepts,
that we should observe them diligently.

Oh, that my ways were directed and established to observe
 Yous statutes [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them]!

Skipping to verse 10:

With my whole heart have I sought You,
inquiring for and of You
and yearning for You;
Oh, let me not wander or step aside
[either in ignorance or willfully]
from Your commandments.

11) You word have I laid up in my heart,
that I might not sin against You.

12) Blessed are You, O Lord,
teach me Your statutes.

15) I will meditate on Your precepts
and have respect to Your ways.

16) I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.


Statutes according to Webster:
a formally established rule; law; decree.
I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty of Old Testament law
versus Jesus' teachings.

I feel that it's all good
and I can learn from all of it.

What I have gotten from these verses:

If we want to be truly blessed and happy,
we will live according to the "whole of God's revealed will."
We do that by studying His Word
and spending time praying and quietly listening
to Him.

I do believe He 'talks' to us.
No, I've never heard a booming voice
heralding down from the sky.

It's a quiet voice inside me which I've learned to listen to
and to trust.

It's taken me years to get to this point.
                                                              I've been stubborn and proud.
Both have cost me
not because God  punished me,
but because I walked away from God's will
to follow my own will.

But I'm listening--truly--
and learning.

Well . .  most days.
I have had a rougher time having devotions
in an open schedule summer
than I have had in heavily scheduled school time.

But if I slide, I make up for it with double or triple it,
because I believe that the more I learn His Word,
the better I can live His will for me.

I can also fight the bad better by speaking God's Word
in the midst of 'trials and tribulations'.
That Word issuing from my mouth
strengthens me and enables me to remain steady,
knowing that He is in the midst of the problem
and is working on my behalf.

As verse 16 says ". . . I will not forget Your word."
Well I have to learn it to remember it, huh?!


I like this photo because the pole appears to be leaning.
Actually it looks as if the wire is pulling it downwards.

That's how I feel my life is when I'm not spending time with God
and reading the Bible.
I get pulled down by situations and people--get pulled down by "the world."

Anyway,
this is my "Psalm of the Week."
It's a little late since the new week has already begun,
but I still felt I was to write this post.

I hope this week is a good one for you all.

I have a lot going on this week.
My daughter and her two children are returning,
so she can help out with a situation at the family company
and also spend more time with all of us.

Blessings.


9 comments:

  1. I did know abut Psalm 117 and always thought it was interesting that it is so close to Psalm 119!
    I like your pole picture and application - true for me as well!

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  2. you made me look up psalm 117 ;)

    and i hope you have a lovely time with your daughter!

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  3. What would we do without God's Word to hold us steady and give us hope? The pole pic reminds me of a little song we sing sometimes: "I'm learning to lean on Jesus . . . finding more power than I've ever dreamed . . . I'm learning to lean of Jesus." I'm thankful He's there in the "leaning times."

    Have a good week with your family!

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  4. Great post, Beth... We read Psalm 119 almost every Wed. as part of our daily devotion...

    YES--we all do look like that pole sometimes, don't we? We do get pulled down by LIFE....

    God Bless.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  5. I hope your week will be as peaceful as the softness of the clouds.

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  6. One of the things that amazes me most about the Lord is His infinite patience as we slowly make this journey through life. He has given me so much more than I could ever deserve. You are not alone in your struggles Beth.
    Have a blessed week and enjoy your loved ones. We have an extremely busy week too!

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  7. Thank you for taking the time to post the scripture verses, your thoughts and photos. I thank the Lord for His grace. May He minister to you this week and I hope you have a good time with your loved ones.

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  8. I'm glad your daughter and kids are able to make the trip again.

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  9. 27 years ago, any time life became stressful, the Psalms was my only place to read and to "live." So glad you are enjoying and striving for it. I especially enjoy all the ones that talk about our Rock, our Shelter...

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