How to Walk in the Will of the Lord

October 22, 2022

By Brooke Holt

“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” – Psalm 119:97-104

Oh, how I wish these words truly characterized my life thus far! Instead, I am often the stubborn one who refuses to do things according to God’s way. As my mother has told me throughout my life, I often learn things the hard way. How much easier would it be if I received the Lord’s commands and then lived accordingly? After all, he is God, and I am not. He is perfect in every way while I am clearly quite flawed!

“How I love your law! (Verse 97). Is it possible to truly love God’s law? Aren’t those the dreaded boundaries or rules I seem to like to test or stretch? As a parent, I made a lot of rules for my young children and created boundaries. Many of those seemed unpleasant to them at times. Why couldn’t they eat more candy or stay out later than the assigned curfew? While I longed for my children to be happy, I longed even more that they be healthy and safe not to mention holy.

God longs for you to be healthy, safe, and holy. God gave every commandment for those very purposes. They were protective and instructive and intended to enable his children to live set apart lives that reflected his glory in the world. That is why the psalmist loved the law and meditated on it throughout the day. He recognized God’s perfect wisdom given throughout his Word. Every restraint was for life, abundant life.

Do you also delight in God’s law and written word? Do you spend time not just studying the Word but meditating on it? I love to study, but meditating allows God’s Word to move from my head to my heart. Do you recognize God’s perfect wisdom combined with his perfect love in his word? In his wisdom and love, the Lord longs to guide, restrain, and teach you. He is the only perfect teacher.

May you delight in God’s Word today. May you soak in his love and wisdom, and may you allow his Word to truly direct your steps and thoughts.

Reflection:

How is the Lord inviting you to a new perspective on his commandments and teachings today? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Related Resource:

Follow the ancient way of the Psalms and find the life God has for you. A model for vibrant worship, the Psalms provide practical wisdom to traverse the circuitous path of life with trust and hope. Pilgrim’s Path: A Study of the Psalms traces our spiritual walk with God—from discovery and delight, through doubt and disappointment, into joyful confidence. Whether used for individual or group study, Pilgrim’s Path is for everyone who seeks to know and love God more and find life in him.