“O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!” Psalm 119.5
My life has been so enriched by repeated reading of the Psalms. Psalm 119 is no exception. When I read this psalm, I try to put myself in the psalmist’s place and understand his cries for help and his intense desire to keep (God’s) statutes. In this verse above, he longs to do everything God wants him to do. What would it take in my life and years for us to be able to accomplish the thing here for which the psalmist seeks? We must understand that the Holy Spirit had not yet come to earth to inhabit believers like He has in our spiritual culture today. The blessing that we enjoy that the author of psalm 119 did not know is that we have God’s Spirit not just WITH us but more directly IN us to guide us in our daily journey with God step-by-step.
So, what must change in our lives for us to be able to “keep (God’s) statues” – to have a deep longing to obey everything that God and His Word tells us? The place of beginning for us is the issue of “control” – who controls what in your life? If I control my every whim, thought, desire, decision, action, and attitude, God will allow me to do the best I can WITHOUT His help. However, when I come to realize that “my control” is blocking “God’s control” in my life, and I am willing to surrender all of me (and I mean all), the outcome is totally different and it is a God-glorifying moment. When was the last time you consciously said to God, “OK God. I give up. I surrender control of my thought life, my attitude, my desires, and my behavior to you. I want my life to GLORIFY you and MAGNIFY your Son, Jesus.” That prayer is easy enough to pray, but it takes a mountain of self-control to put God in TOTAL CONTROL. Why not give Him full access to all you are? His BEST for you is always better than your BEST for you. Just My Thoughts …
Pastor Jerry