Psalm 119

So, I've started doing this devotional for girls on what living a life like that shown in Psalm 119 would look like. Now I'm not super consistent in working on this due to my busy schedule, but I have the first chapter done. I would really like you to take about five minutes to do it (posted below), because not only would I like feedback, but would love for you to grow from it. Hope you enjoy!

Aleph: Becoming Blessed

Verses: Ps. 119:1-8

            Okay, so did you actually read the verses? Come on, you won’t know what I’m talking about if you don’t!

            Alright, now we’re ready! So those verses were pretty intense, huh? Being blameless? Seeking God with all your heart? What does that even mean? And isn’t it impossible to do nothing wrong?

            This chapter starts off right away with talking about those who are “blessed.” Sounds like something I want! I mean, who wants to be cursed? Verses 1-2 tell us that those who have blameless ways, walk according to the law of the Lord, keep His statutes, and seek Him are those who are blessed. That’s quite a list! How do we even go about becoming that kind of person?

            Well friend, it isn’t easy. To become the “blessed” of Psalm 119, we have to be dedicated. We can’t half-heartedly serve our Jesus. God’s Word talks about half-hearted, or “lukewarm” servers of him in Revelation 3:16: “So since you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Obviously, being half-hearted is not the way to become blessed.

            So here’s the deal: if you really want God’s blessing in your life, I have a challenge for you. Wholeheartedly commit your life to Jesus. Commit to diving into His Word with me and learning how to live your life from it. It may be scary, but it’s worth it. Let’s receive that title of blessed.

            Now that we know we need to be in God’s Word and learning how to live our lives and keep His laws, let’s move on. Verse 3 says, “They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.” Say what? There is just no way! I am too far from perfect, it isn’t going to happen. This may be going through your head, especially since verse 4 talks about how God’s precepts are to be fully obeyed. But don’t check out on me. God knows we aren’t perfect. Romans 3:23 tells us that, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” He knows that without him, we have no hope. And even with him in our lives, chances are we’re going to mess up a lot. But God knew we were going to be messy. That was to point of the cross. These verses aren’t about us being perfect. Remember the whole-hearted challenge? That’s what this is about. We needed to be totally dedicated to God’s standards of living and walking in his ways.

            Yeah, this is really tough. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I’ve messed up over and over again, and I’m not even old yet! And a lot of times, it’s the same mistakes that I continuously make. But this Psalmist knew how we may be feeling. He cries out to God, “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands (v. 5-6).” We all mess up. And I think that God allows us to do so to show us that we really can’t do anything on our own. If we try to live life without Jesus in it, we will just be put to shame when we consider all of his commands. This sounds pretty hopeless.

            Thankfully, there is hope. Jesus paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross and rising again and we can have a relationship with him, washed totally clean by acknowledging him as Lord (1 John 1:9). And I think our morose Psalmist friend starts to see the light in verses 7-8, as he praises God and desires to learn God’s Word. A wise woman once told me that desire is half the victory. If we truly desire to become blessed by living life according to the Lord’s Word, then we will really make the effort.

            My favorite verse of this section is the last one. “I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me (v. 8).” This guy really wants God in his life. I just imagine him on his knees, crying out to God after messing up AGAIN, saying, “I’m really trying, Lord! Don’t give up on me, please!” You may think you’ve messed up too many times, but I promise you that God is still there. Cry out this prayer to him. He knows your heart and sees that you are really trying. Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” God isn’t looking down in wrath, waiting to smite us. He wants us to desire to live in his ways so that he can bless us. So what are you waiting for? Start acting on this Scripture.

Making it Real Today

            We covered a lot of things about becoming blessed in this chapter and yeah, they all sound great, but hard to achieve. So here are some practical ways to apply this into our lives.

Make a commitment—Decide that you want to be seeking out God’s will in your life and learn to live by his standards, no matter how difficult that may be. Write out whatever it is that you feel needs to be committed to him (whether that is your relationships, choice of music, or just life in general) in the space below.