21 Days of Prayer in Psalm 119 (Day #5)

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Psalm 119:33, 35-37

         "Your Ways"

³³ Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;

    and I will keep it to the end…

³⁵ Lead me in the path of your commandments,

    for I delight in it.

³⁶ Incline my heart to your testimonies,

    and not to selfish gain!

³⁷ Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;

    and give me life in your ways.

Psalm 119 is unique. Almost every verse mentions the Word of God by one of several synonyms. So, in this psalm, we don’t look for the differences between these different terms (Word, Way, Law, Testimonies, Precepts, Commandments, Statutes, Rules, etc.) but look for the similarities. One other note, Psalm 119 is what is called an acrostic psalm. It is made up of 22 separate sections (of eight verses each) starting with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This means that all eight verses in the first section start with the Hebrew letter aleph, the next eight verses all start with beth, and so on.

The psalmist has the wisdom to ask the Lord not just to teach him his statutes but the way of his statutes. The Hebrew word is "derek" and it is used both literally and figuratively for the action of going or journeying (verb), for the actual path in which one goes (noun), and descriptively for the mode in which one might go (adjective). This word is used in both verses 33 and 37, with a synonym used in verse 35.

It is my opinion that many choose to live their life in opposition to God’s statutes which is to their own harm. Others, seek to live in obedience to God's statutes but sadly miss the way in which this is to be done and settle for a weak and often offensive legalism. Disciples of Jesus, seek not merely to obey the letter of God’s Word, but its spirit as well. This latter course is not the way of compromise, for it is a harder path to follow, for it stands against the external challenge of those who reject God’s revelation and against the internal challenge to relegate God’s Word to mere rules that only touch a part of our lives. Instead, it seeks to be fully present relationally with both God and mankind.

O Lord, teach me your ways, not just your words! Let me be more concerned about adoring you than about seeking attention for myself. May I be drawn by your love to plug into your life-giving word more than I am distracted by the “worthless things” that clamor for my time. You do not merely send me on a journey, but you walk with me along the way. In fact, you are the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)! Lord, teach me about you so that I might more fully enter into fellowship with the Father! Amen