Read
49Don't forget your promise
to me, your servant.
I depend on it.
50When I am hurting,
I find comfort in your promise
that leads to life.
51Conceited people sneer at me,
but I obey your Law.
52I find true comfort, Lord,
because your laws have stood
the test of time.
53I get furious when evil people
turn against your Law.
54No matter where I am,
your teachings
fill me with songs.
55Even in the night
I think about you, Lord,
and I obey your Law.
56You have blessed me
because I have always followed
your teachings.
57You, Lord, are my choice,
and I will obey you.
58With all my heart
I beg you to be kind to me,
just as you have promised.
59I pay careful attention
as you lead me,
and I follow closely.
60As soon as you command,
I do what you say.
61Evil people may set a trap,
but I obey your Law.
62Your laws are so fair
that I wake up and praise you
in the middle of the night.
63I choose as my friends
everyone who worships you
and follows your teachings.
64Our Lord, your love is seen
all over the world.
Teach me your laws.
65I am your servant, Lord,
and you have kept your promise
to treat me with kindness.
66Give me wisdom and good sense.
I trust your commands.
67Once you corrected me
for not obeying you,
but now I do obey.
68You are kindhearted,
and you do good things,
so teach me your laws.
69My reputation is being ruined
by conceited liars,
but with all my heart
I follow your teachings.
70Those liars have no sense,
but I find happiness
in your Law.
71When you corrected me,
it did me good
because it taught me
to study your laws.
72I would rather obey you
than to have a thousand pieces
of silver and gold.
Reflect
There are some things in life you do only once; like ride your bike straight into a parked car. It is painful when you fall and embarrassing if people saw you. Your thoughts were wandering and you forgot what you were doing. Now the scrapes and bumps remind you – pay attention!
The psalmist reflects on wandering and the cost of it in verse 67. He comes to terms with the cost of his own wandering. God disciplined him and suffering was the means by which he would get the psalmist’s attention. It was that suffering which drove him back to God’s commands.
Living our lives as believers requires a steady diet of God’s word and obeying that word. The psalmist talks in verse 61 how the truth of God’s law stays with him no matter what. He has an anchor that is unmovable.
One must ponder this and ask, ‘is the word of God an anchor in my own life? To what do I hold when the storms come and the way before me is blurred?
The wisdom of the world is pulling you one way and the truth of what our Father has called us to is pulling in another.
The psalmist rests in the truth of God’s enduring promises and they sustain him. In a world where things change constantly, we know that the promises of our heavenly Father do not change. We need to know the truth of God’s word deeply in our heart and mind.
Respond
Father God, I ask for the sustaining presence of your Holy Spirit to lead me as I navigate through all that I must face this day. Thank you that your promises are true and I choose by faith, to rest in them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Donna Dyck
Donna and her husband Bill are parents of 4 adult children and have 9 grandchildren. They have been pastoring at Toronto Alliance church for 28 years. Donna has written 2 books, Confessions of a Not So Average Girl and Confessions of an Unlikely Pastors wife. She has spoken at many conferences, seminars, and events over the years. She and her husband have just written a Devotional called Hope for an Unwanted Journey which will be published soon and is for parents, especially those who are walking through the valley of addiction or mental illness with their loved ones.