“If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.” Psalm 119.92
God’s word is life-giving and life-protecting. The psalmist has given much attention to this truth in Psalm 119. It’s one of his most oft-repeated themes. He is a sojourner in this world. As such, he faces many trials, temptations, and the derision of the world. Still, he lives.
The poet is able to endure such things, not because he holds to God’s word reluctantly, but because the law of God is his delight. You’ll see this theme consistently in this psalm, and in many of the psalms that discuss Scripture (see Psalm 1 for starters). For God’s word to be most effective in our lives, it must be our delight.
Do you delight in God’s law? There’s a difference between mentally acknowledging your need to follow God’s law and it becoming your delight. Do you check off the boxes in your spiritual to-do list each day with Bible reading? Or do you have true devotional time, reading and studying God’s word with love and affection?
If you’re just tolerating God’s word—if you see it like a medicine you really don’t like, but force yourself to swallow—you’ll abandon it when times get tough. However, if you delight in Scripture, it will be life-giving and comforting, even in the darkest of times.
Lord, teach us to delight in your law. May our hearts be drawn to you and to what you have revealed to us. Show us, O Father, the life-giving truth of your word. Amen.