"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.
With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."
Psalms 119:9-16
This group of verses is a separate stanza (a stanza is like a paragraph in a poem) within Psalm 119. I like the ideas and the symbolism here. In both the first and last lines God's word is mentioned--first as the way to cleanse our ways, and the last as a promise not to forget.
The middle verses are also about God's word. Lines 2 and 3 of the selection kind of mirror lines 6 and 7... taking about seeking with our whole hearts, and keeping/hiding the word in our hearts, and then rejoicing in those testimonies and precepts. I also like the juxtaposition of "let me not wander" / "as much as in all riches" (perhaps a way not to wander is to have clear priorities), and "that I might not sin against thee" / "have respect unto thy ways," which both show respect for God as a motivation.
Verses 12 and 13 / lines 4 and 5 are the core of the stanza and I like the ideas here with acknowledging all that the Lord is, and then asking him to teach us, and then showing that as we learn the word, we also use it in our lives, and pass it on... bring it to life as it were, rather than *only* meditating, etc.
Today, let's think about how to cleanse our ways. Maybe this stanza will help, if we think about how to do some of the things listed here. :) Let's take heed to God's word, delight ourselves in his statutes, and never forget. :)
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.
With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word."
Psalms 119:9-16
This group of verses is a separate stanza (a stanza is like a paragraph in a poem) within Psalm 119. I like the ideas and the symbolism here. In both the first and last lines God's word is mentioned--first as the way to cleanse our ways, and the last as a promise not to forget.
The middle verses are also about God's word. Lines 2 and 3 of the selection kind of mirror lines 6 and 7... taking about seeking with our whole hearts, and keeping/hiding the word in our hearts, and then rejoicing in those testimonies and precepts. I also like the juxtaposition of "let me not wander" / "as much as in all riches" (perhaps a way not to wander is to have clear priorities), and "that I might not sin against thee" / "have respect unto thy ways," which both show respect for God as a motivation.
Verses 12 and 13 / lines 4 and 5 are the core of the stanza and I like the ideas here with acknowledging all that the Lord is, and then asking him to teach us, and then showing that as we learn the word, we also use it in our lives, and pass it on... bring it to life as it were, rather than *only* meditating, etc.
Today, let's think about how to cleanse our ways. Maybe this stanza will help, if we think about how to do some of the things listed here. :) Let's take heed to God's word, delight ourselves in his statutes, and never forget. :)
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