Forthright Fixation

A meditation on Psalm 119, verses 9-16 (ESV)

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to Your Word.

How foolish I often am to seek to fight sin in my life without wielding the Word. My fighting will be fruitless unless I pick up the sword of the Spirit, the most powerfully authoritative weapon against my sin. Not only is the offensive weapon the Word of God, but I am called to pick up the shield of Truth. And this truth is found in the Word of God.

With my whole heart I seek You,
let me not wander from your commandments!

Father, capture my whole heart. Keep my eyes from turning to the right or to the left. Protect me from being sidetracked by the temptations this world offers. Help me to see Your ways as being the path of true joy and hope.

I have stored up Your Word in my heart,
that I might not sin against You.

Memorization and meditation of Scripture is one of the primary means God has provided to aid me in wielding the Word. Just as Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress was able to escape Doubting Castle through the Promises he had stored in his chest pocket, having the promises and truths of Scripture stored in my heart will keep my hand on the hilt of the sword of the Spirit.

Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me Your statutes!

Here I must acknowledge my weakness. “Blessed are you, O Lord” for giving me Your Words. Such truth and righteousness spring only from You. “Teach me Your statutes,” Father, for I am not capable of understanding and applying Your truths in my own strength.

With my lips I declare all the rules of Your mouth.

How does the Word take effect in my daily life? By my preaching the truth to myself. Once again, none of this is possible without the work of the Holy Spirit enabling me every step of the way. Father, help me to be faithful to speak Your precepts to myself as I battle sins, try to discern truth from error, and seek to serve others.

In the way of Your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.

Oh how beautiful are Your words, Father! So often my eyes are turned by the flashy offerings of sin. So often my laziness is more attractive than obeying and seeking God. But how rich is the reward for digging deep into the testimonies and truths of the Word! Truly, they are more worthy than all riches. Father, thank You for not simply commanding us to know your laws, but for giving us delight when we delve into them.

I will meditate on Your precepts
and fix my eyes on Your ways.
I will delight in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

Such a tall order from the psalmist! “I will meditate on Your precepts…fix my eyes on Your ways…delight in Your statutes…[and] not forget Your word.” I am called to live a holy life, meditating on, delighting in, and remembering the words of God. I mustn’t lower my expectations to those that my lazy tendencies would allow when it comes to living the Christian life. Nonetheless, the Psalmist continues in the next two verses to remind himself that the Lord must enable him to live this way.

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Father, help me to see the worth of Your word, and delight in it. Help me to meditate on and memorize Your truth so it is stored in my heart and ready when I face temptation and evil. Reveal Yourself to me through Your words for I am inadequate to understand scripture on my own. Help me to aim high, Father. Keep me from lowering my standards of Christian living to what I feel I can accomplish on my own. But foremost, Father…

“Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
Psalm 119:17-18

Filed under: Christian Living, God's Word, Memorization