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  • Sought by The Shepherd (Psalm 119:169-176)

    My toddler loves to play hide-and-seek. He loves to do the hiding, and he wants me to seek. While he hides, I obviously can tell where he is but I play along. You can also hear his chuckles. Finally, after some time,  I will seek and find him. In the Christian life, we have a God who seeks us, whether it is because we are hiding or if we are hurting. In the times we are hurting, Psalm 119 reminds us we can bring our cries to Him, especially when we lack wisdom. We can cry for understanding from God’s Word. We should cry for this because we know God has given us guidance and has shared the story of salvation in the Scriptures. Because of the work of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, praise to God is the proper response. This praise is not merely through words but is evidenced by a heart ready to serve and hands working to serve. But the truth about the Christian life is it is a life of endurance and perseverance. We need to be reproved and corrected because there are times we get off track and stuck in sin. Like the psalmist, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments” (verse 176). These are the kind of prayers we pray because we know our God is a God who seeks us. If we meditate on His Word, we will not forget His commandments. Let’s be encouraged as we remember we are sought by the Shepherd.

    Reflection Questions:

    1. How does the truth that God seeks us bring comfort to you?
    2. How has Psalm 119 equipped you to live better according to God’s Word?

  • Great Peace (Psalm 119:161-168)

    Peace does not come from the circumstances we see but the God we know. This statement is much easier said than lived, but it is a truth that we must cling to during hard times. Psalm 119:161-168 magnifies this reality as the psalmist lists out his external circumstances all the while revealing they have not twisted the internal responses he is making. In the face of unjust suffering and persecution, he is not in despair and complaint mode but is in awe of God’s words. God has shown the broken and sinful world we live in but also has revealed this is not all there is. Because it is not just what is going on around us, we, like the psalmist, can rejoice at God’s Word that confirms the truth of our world, points to the hope of Christ, and gives the message of salvation. There will be those who speak lies. Those who follow the Lord, though, will love the law of God and follow after Him. This is not routine but because those who have been changed by the gospel praise God for the righteous rules found in the Scriptures. That is why great peace can be found even in trying and unjust circumstances. It is about the hope for salvation that comes from Christ. It is about the testimonies of the Lord and the evidence our hope is in Him by our soul keeping those testimonies. It all goes back to the heart. It is not about keeping a list of righteous rules to follow; it is about having a love to follow those righteous rules because of the redemption we already have in Christ through repentance of sin and receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. True peace is found with God even when the circumstances are not.

    Reflection Questions:

    1. Where do you tend to look for peace? Why is it helpful or not?
    2. What is the difference between making a list of rules and having a love for the rules?

  • Life from Your Word (Psalm 119:153-160)

    I can still remember the moment. One winter I was making my way to college. It had snowed the night before, and the interstate was still somewhat covered by the snowfall and impacted by ice. The car in front of me braked, and I had to slam on mine. My car did a 180, and I was bracing for my car to flip over since there was a ditch. Then, it seemed like the car just stopped before it went over the ditch. I was able to drive away from that scene without any car damage or incident. My car was spared, and so was I. It certainly gave me an appreciation for life. It is in moments like that you gain perspective. That is what we see from this week’s passage from Psalm 119. In verses 153-160, the psalmist is speaking out of a place of need, having faced affliction. He is turning to the Lord because He remembers His works. He is not merely seeking for relief from his affliction but for his own redemption. Such redemption is supremely found in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and is what gives true life because it is found in the promises of God. The promises of God find their “Yes!” in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20). In Christ alone is salvation. It is not based on our works because we all would be guilty as the wicked for our rebellion against God, having sought after other things for satisfaction and grumbled against the things God has given to us. Rather, salvation is due to the great mercy of God that gives life. The evidence someone has trusted in the salvation God gives through Jesus Christ is they do not turn from God when they are persecuted and face opposition. They do not give in. Their lives look different, not only because they do not continually disobey God commands but because they desire to follow them about of a love for the words of God. It is in the Word of God, they find life because they meet a God of steadfast love. The question for us is if we live this kind of life? Would the sum of our lives be living out the Word, whose sum is truth? That is what truly will only last forever. The Lord gives life that is eternal life in Christ.

    Reflection Questions:

    1. Why is it important to remember the promises of God in the face of affliction?
    2. What are the evidences that you are following God’s Word and seeking to live it out?