Deeply Rooted

Psalm 119:11-16

"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word."

I have been on a journey in the last year of having a deeper love and understanding of the law of God. I read this morning Psalm 119 in it's entirety and I was struck by its beauty. Reading the law has in the past felt like oppression, but reading it this morning I understood how the law is truly a delight. The heart of the Psalmist is reflected so clearly through the beauty of the poetry. The Psalmist loves the Lord and desires to live in such a way that reflects this love. There is a clear picture throughout the Psalm of what it means to live righteously before a holy God which is contrasted with those who do not seek to live righteously. I found myself confessing a lot and praying that the attitude of my heart would reflect the words of Psalm 119. After reading it I glanced at a devotional by Calvin called Heart Aflame.

"Among scholars, those whose knowledge is confined to books, if they have not the book always before them, readily discover their ignorance; in like manner, if we do not imbibe the doctrine of God, and are well acquainted with it, Satan will easily surprise and entangle us in his meshes. Our true safeguard, then, lies not in a slender knowledge of his law, or in a careless perusal of it, but in hiding it deeply in our hearts. Here we are reminded, that however men may be convinced of their own wisdom, they are destitute of all right judgement, except as far as they have God as their teacher."

I really appreciated the analogy of the scholar. Knowing the Lord is deeper then head knowledge, but must run deep in our hearts. My prayer is that the affections of my heart would be for the Lord and his word, and that my study of his word would not simply stay in my mind but would be rooted deep into my heart and lived out through my hands.

-Lindsey