PRAYING TO OBEY GOD WITHOUT DELAY

 OBEYING GOD WITHOUT DELAY

Psalm 119 – It’s the longest chapter in the Bible, God’s Word, and it’s all about God’s Word.    It is arranged as a series of 8 verse stanzas that were each linked to the Hebrew alphabet – each stanza starting with a different letter of that alphabet.  But, whatever the organization and placement of those verses in the Bible, it’s the content that is so refreshing – and challenging. 

Each verse of the 176 verses, with just a couple of exceptions, says something about the word of God.  It may use precepts, commandments, laws, instructions – a whole variety of words – but nonetheless they speak about what God is speaking to us.  This is the God who created the universe who loves You and I so much that He sent Jesus to suffer and die for us so we could know how loved we are and have an opportunity to reestablish the loving and lifegiving relationship with God that He always intended us to have.  Who wouldn’t long to hear what someone who loves them this much wants to say to them?  Who wouldn’t pay attention and adjust how they are doing things to match what that person is instructing them in love. 

Listen to these words that relate to our Loving God’s words to us: 

Lord, you are mine! I promise to obey your words!  With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful as you promised. I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws.  I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands. Psalm 119:57-60

Lord, we are so glad that we can say, “You are mine.”  As the little chorus says, “I am my beloved’s and He is mine, His banner over me is love.”  We are always amazed that You choose to pay attention to us and love us because You know all the “ins and outs” of our thinking, our desiring, our reacting, our behaving – all of it.  Nothing is hidden from Your gaze.

We promise to obey your words and we know that when we do we will be blessed because nothing is better than living in Your blessing – nothing even comes close. 

Lord, help us again today to spend long enough with Your words to really hear them in our hearts so we are anchored in the right way to think, desire, choose, and act. 

And then Lord, I love that little line that says, “I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands.”  There’s something so pure and so trusting in a person who hurries, without delay, to follow an instruction.  Give us hearts so completely enjoying You and trusting You that we hurry, without delay, to put into practice anything we know You are asking us to do today.  Help us to respond in joy because You only ask those things of us that bring good to us – even if it is a hard or challenging thing to do in the moment.