“Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!” Psalm 119.5
The psalmist declared the unparalleled blessing of walking in the law of the Lord. He painted a portrait of the life lived according to God’s Word. He affirmed the divine source of the Word as the motivation to diligently abide by its teaching.
Out of those truths flows this exclamation of desire—the desire to keep God’s statutes. In this cry, he also expresses his dependence on the Lord, his recognition that it is ultimately God that establishes his way. As you continue studying through Psalm 119, you’ll see repeated expressions of this dependence on God to fulfill the psalmist’s desire to obey God’s precepts.
This should serve as a model for our desires. As we understand the blessings of living according to God’s Word, what it means to pattern our lives according to Scripture, and the motivation that’s derived from the heavenly ordination of Scripture’s precepts, we should cry out to God to establish our ways and—in his kindness—lead us into obedience.
How does your life display a dependence on God to establish your ways and guide you in obedience? Does your heart cry out for God to enable you to honor and keep His Word?
Dearest Lord, you have established your Word—inspired, infallible, and sufficient—as the ultimate guide for our life. May we, like the psalmist, cry out that you would establish our ways to keep your statutes.