PLANT YOUR FEET ON SOLID GROUND

I hope you have reached the point where you have decided it’s time for a serious change.  A change in priorities.  The most logical way to start anew is to revisit the two basic ways to achieve spiritual growth. You can probably name them easier than you actually spend time doing them consistently. Be honest. One involves spending quality time studying God’s Word, and the other, spending time in prayer. Both of these steps will prove to be essential to adjusting one’s priorities. This week, we will explore how developing a passion for God’s Word, makes it easier to recognize for us to redirect our focus.

 Follow the exercise below and then let’s compare.

(1) Pray for understanding from the Holy Spirit

(2) Read Psalm 119:1-40; Psalm 1. (I will be using the NIV translation, but feel free to use the translation you are comfortable reading)

(3) If you don’t mind marking your Bible, go back through Psalm 119:1-40 and mark (or record in a notebook) words that are repeated often.

If you read the selected verses from Psalm 119 and decided to continue, this is one long passage, huh?  Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the bible. When you have time, you may want to read it all in one sitting or split it up over a few days to digest it. In the meantime, let’s examine a few selected verses.

(a) The Benefits

Psalm 119: 1-3 - Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

Psalm 119: 1-3 (THE MESSAGE) - You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.

I had to include The Message paraphrase. It straight and to the point. We are blessed with a peace of mind when we choose to walk opposite of the world, instead choosing to walk a solid pathway already routed out for us by God.  This fast food world dictates to us, the mantra that in order to be successful or have any value we must fill out schedules until they are jammed-packed. Yeah, knock yourself out in twenty-four hours, it’s okay. No, its not, especially when your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well being is at stake.  The more God gets squeezed out of the picture, the farther we drift from His perfect counsel.

God’s word may not necessarily give you the exact answer you need to all your issues, but the bible definitely serves as a solid foundation for the decision-making process.  Let’s compare the repeated words from the exercise above. I’ve included the words and the definition  (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) from my notes.

• law - a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority
• statutes - a law enacted by the legislative branch of a government
• precepts -  a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action
• obey - to follow the commands or guidance of
• decrees - an order usually having the force of law
• commands - to direct authoritatively
• meditate - to engage in contemplation or reflection

By now you should have caught the pattern or theme for Psalm 119. The author expressed a deep love for God’s Word or Laws (Ten Commandments, etc).  Now, don’t get uptight about not liking someone to tell you what to do. How often have you gone off on your own agendas, only to sheepishly and very wearily come back to where you started?

There is always someone who KNOWS more than we do. That someone is the ONE who created you.  Refer to Isaiah 55:9 where it states, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Notice in the midst of all the related words (law, statutes, precepts, etc) one particular word stands out - MEDITATE. Now if you are familiar with Eastern religions, you may have the wrong interpretation of the word meditate.  As the definition states, we are engaging our mind, choosing to reflect on a particular thought., not just nothing. The author has chosen to focus on God’s Law or Word. Like a breath of fresh air, he has received insight for his daily life, knows he needs this same “counsel”  again and again.

Psalm 119:27-28  - Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

Psalm 1:1-2 - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

To experience the benefits, we must hunger and thirst for God’s guidance in our lives.  It’s not like we can’t make sound decisions, but so often we are influenced by our fleshly desires, society and the Enemy’s deceptions. These influence ultimately distract us from pursuing priorities that really matter in the long run. 

Have you ever felt like that hamster running in a wheel, going no where? Not a good feeling for a creation (created in God’s image) intended to have purpose.

(b) Don’t Take for Granted

Psalm 119:36-37 - Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

Obviously the author didn’t seek God’s Word as a last resort, but sought counsel from the Almighty, first and foremost.  Do you have a personal devotion time? Do you tend to depend on Sunday sermons to receive a word from God? Who do you seek out first when you are trying to juggle one thing after the other and the sky is about to fall on you?

The author speaks so eloquently through this lengthy prayer, also known as an acrostic poem, about the benefits of learning about God’s character.  We need not take Him for granted. Cut out the hustle and bustle, stake out some quiet time and guard it. We need God more than he needs us. 

(c) Choosing to Prosper

Psalm 1:3 - He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

There always tends to be a lot of hype about prosperity teaching. The verse above represents beautiful imagery. Right now, I’m writing this series in the dead of winter, when most of the trees are pretty bare. There also has been serious drought issues around here, so it will be interesting to see what begins to bud in the next month.  Have you ever felt withered? Too tired to be responsive? Just lost in thought about how you can accomplish all that needs to be done.

There is an answer and it’s not complicated. It’s not about how many blessings you can receive or how you can finally have all the money you need.  It’s about flourishing to become the person you were meant to be.

Jesus came to a woman who had grown probably grown tired of trying to make it, trying to impress folks. One relationship issue after another, she finally settled and had to go out of her way to take care of her household, retrieving water at the hottest part of the the day.  In John 7:38, Jesus responds to the woman’s cynicism with, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

The more you meditate and spend time in God’s Word, the more you gain God-confidence.  Self-confidence is wonderful, but it will take you only so far.  After the weariness of your overbooked life takes a toll, you are going to need something more substantial.

As you seek to adjust your priorities, put God first, let Him be the counsel you seek, before getting caught up in the whirlwind of another frustrating season.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tyora Moody is a writer, book reviewer and web developer. Find more of her writings at CookieAisle.com.

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