11
Aug '18
Psalm 119- Thoughts & Observations
11
Aug '18
During the past several months we have been studying Psalm 119 at our Wednesday night prayer meeting. I thought I’d share some of the interesting observations our group made as we reviewed the emotions, concerns, and repeated commitment to the Lord referred to by the writer.
The author of Psalm 119 is unknown, but many think it is possibly David, Ezra, or Daniel. One thing that is clear, the author loved God and desperately wanted to honor Him in his life! It clearly shows us that the author experienced many struggles, but he always came back to center knowing that God was there for him. He goes through many trials and afflictions, but clings to the truths he has learned from the scripture.
I think this is a great lesson for all of us: even during our darkest time, God’s Word and His love never changes.
Interestingly, the chapter is broken into 26 sections, 8 verses per section. Each section starts with a Hebrew letter of the alphabet. Some of the words used to refer to the Word of God are; law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgements, word, and ordinances. Look closer and you’ll see one of these words is used in almost every verse.
The attributes of God that he referred to frequently: His righteousness, His trustworthiness, His truthfulness, His faithfulness, His consistency, He is eternal, He is light, and He is pure. These attributes are in just about every verse in this chapter. These words are meant as an encouragement when we go through struggles, temptations, afflictions and persecutions.
Take time to meditate on God’s provision and trustworthiness in Psalm 119
and I believe you will come back to center – where God is.
Consider praying with us on Wednesday night. We have a great time studying the word of God and a sweet time in prayer. I hope to see you soon.
P.S.
Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible with only two verses. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the bible with 176 verses.
Psalm 118:8 is the very center of the Bible and says “It is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in people.” Amen!
Author:
Ken Drew, Elder at Faith Assembly
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15
Dec '17
Intentional Spirituality | Focused Meditation
15
Dec '17
On my hour or so drive to work, I often recite a medley of various scripture verses that begins with Psalm 1.
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the council of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on it he meditates daily…
I try to avoid recitation of the scripture becoming just part of my driving routine.
To help with this, I meditate on the words to understand better what God intended in giving them to us.
Pastor Jon would say, “Let them marinate.”
No matter how many times I recite the first two verses of Psalm 1, I always find it fascinating (and incredibly helpful) to be reminded how the subtle progression of sin can take over our lives. Of course this includes my own life, to the point of even becoming comfortable with it.
Take a look at this progression as shown in this Psalm, using physical activity and the laws of physics:
Psalm 1 speaks to a person first walking, then standing, then sitting.
When we walk we can decide to move left or right, or even turn around with our momentum requiring less energy to change direction.
But then we stand, requiring a bit more energy to get moving again.
Finally, when we sit down, it takes even more energy to get up and get moving.
So too is the progression of sin. It can look like this:
- We look to the crowd- the world- and start listening to their advice (…council of the wicked)
- We justify wrong behaviors, instead of evaluating the advice of God’s absolute Truth
- We begin to slow down, stop to accept the advice, believe all the lies and do what the ungodly do (…stand in the same way as sinners)
- After sinning repeatedly and ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we begin to sit comfortably in the sin, justifying behavior we know is wrong and often even begin to defend the behavior to others or in secret (…sit in the seat of mockers)
But then Psalm 1:2 goes on to say …but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on it he meditates daily. So while the Psalm warns about the propensity for sin to creep in to our daily lives, verse 2 tells us that by being in the Word (the Bible) we delight in the law of the Lord.
This means that by being in the Word consistently, we are directly connected to the Source of Life itself.
We are not just understanding absolute Truth, but actually delighting in it!
The other critical aspect of this verse is meditating on it every day.
Making the time- and being consistently intentional- is crucial, and is also hard because it takes discipline.
Eighteen years ago I didn’t look forward to my long drive to work, but I can now say that this drive continues to be a real blessing. It has provided the time I may not have otherwise carved out for my daily spiritual feeding and meditation. My time in the car encourages my intentional and focused discipline and draws me closer to my Savior.
We eat physical food each day to stay physically nourished. How much more important is our spiritual nourishment!
How do you carve out time from your busy schedules for your spiritual feeding?
Author:
Randy Ortgiesen is a Husband, Father and Grandfather
who loves Jesus and serves as an Elder at Faith Assembly.
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