Beth

⁹ How can a young person stay pure?
    By obeying your word.
¹⁰ I have tried hard to find you—
    don’t let me wander from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
¹² I praise you, O Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
¹³ I have recited aloud
    all the regulations you have given us.
¹⁴ I have rejoiced in your laws
    as much as in riches.
¹⁵ I will study your commandments
    and reflect on your ways.
¹⁶ I will delight in your decrees
    and not forget your word.

Psalm 119:9-16

Dear God, I’m here again with Psalm 119. I’ll confess that I’m not sure I’ll end up doing this in 22 consecutive days because I found myself kind of dreading doing this prayer to you this morning, and I don’t want to dread praying to you through these journals. So we’ll see. But for this morning, I want to dive into the second section of this psalm and see what you have for me. Holy Spirit, sit with me now and speak to me. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear.

• ⁹ How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. – Does this indicate that the author of this psalm is young? Maybe. Now that I think about it, as a psalm of orientation (as opposed to disorientation or reorientation) it makes me think that it is written by someone who hasn’t run into as many of the trials that come with life yet. I’m not as much referring to this one verse, but the rest of the psalm. In the case of this verse, however, the author seems to be talking about staying pure, and obeying your word is certainly foundational for that to happen.
• ¹⁰ I have tried hard to find you—don’t let me wander from your commands. – This makes me think of the last verse for “Come Thou Fount:” Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the one I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above. Why am I prone to wander? Why did I even dread sitting with you in prayer this morning? Why, oh why?
• ¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. – I will say that the more I spend time with you and give your Spirit room to grow in me the less I find myself sinning. Oh, I sin. Don’t get me wrong. But not nearly as much. I am much more loving than I used to be, and I can see it growing almost every day.
• ¹² I praise you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. – Continue to teach me. Teach me through these times. Teach me through people you raise up in my life. Give me ears to hear. Help me to not see someone and prejudicially assume they have nothing to teach me. Or that I am more mature, older, smarter, etc. than them because they truth is I am a flawed, ignorant man who has a lot to learn.
• ¹³ I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us. – I wonder if I should memorize scripture more (or at all). I am certainly willing to share with others what you are teaching me. Should I be doing more to engrain it in my heart?
• ¹⁴ I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. – Oh, I hope it’s more than in riches. Now, this is easy for me to say as I sit on vacation because it took some amount of riches to be here. I know a lot of people who cannot afford something like this. But I certainly don’t pursue riches. But how much do I rejoice in your laws? I think I do. I hope I do.
• ¹⁵ I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. – This is what it’s all about. Reflecting your ways. I want to impact the world as much as I can through my little life, but I want to do it as your servant and your child. I want to do it through my love for you. Help me to share you better.
• ¹⁶ I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. – I would say the theme for Beth is about learning your word and reflecting it/you to the world. Help me to do that today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen