Day 825: Determination - Psalm 119 vs 25 – 32

25 My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! 26-27 When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes! Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.

28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word! 29 Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! 30-31 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame! 32 I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! (for you set my heart free) Psalm 119:25-32 English Standard Version

Psalm 119 is made up of 22 sections of 8 verses each. Each verse of a section begins with the same letter, and the 22 sections work their way through the the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The overall theme is that of a deep desire to know, to love, and to keep, the teachings and commandments God spoke through Moses. In the previous 8 verses we saw how the writer said that this desire to follow God's ways often made him feel like a stranger in the world.

The apostle Peter said something similar about those who had become followers of Jesus Christ. He wrote that such people had “finished with sin”, and he said to them: “You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but will be anxious to do the will of God. You've had enough in the past of the evil things godless people enjoy - their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.” But then he adds: “Your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you.” (1 Peter 4:2-4)

So how does the Psalm writer describe himself in vs 25 and in vs 28?

He feels himself crushed and is experiencing deep sorrow. This could be for one of two reasons, or possibly both. What does he say he had done in vs 26-27?

He had 'told of his ways'. Could it be that he is thinking of the terrible conviction of sin that had entered his soul and which had led to him coming to God to confess those sins that brought such guilt and sorrow? That is certainly one reason why a soul can cling to the dust. Even the soul of a believer when they recall some of the terrible things they know about themselves. But what's the other reason that a God seeking person might experience sorrow? (vs 29)

It's when they are confronted with, and perhaps surrounded by, the false ways of the world they live in. When God opens a persons eyes to see the ugliness of sin they will quickly be aware of how seductive sin can be, and how deceitful people can be. And their longing and desire will be to be protected by God from falling into the pattern of the world. So how did the writer respond to this situation? (vs 30-32)

He made a choice which he was determined to cling to! He was determined to run the race of life according to God's rules, not his own desires. One can think of the apostle Paul's words as he neared the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) It's good to have such a determination to run so as to receive the crown of righteousness. But what is the vital factor the Psalm writer also makes in vs 32.

He asks God to “enlarge his heart” so he could run the race in God's way. Earlier on he had prayed that God would “make him understand the way of His precepts.” Our determination is not enough to reach heaven's gates. We need the ongoing work of God's Spirit to enlarge our hearts and to give us understanding of all that Jesus Christ did when He came into the world to pay the price of the sins that cause our souls to cling to the dust. It was through that sacrifice that our shame was put away forever. May we be determined to take to heart all that He taught His followers to do.