Thursday, August 11, 2011
Psalm 119:73
I was thumbing through my Bible as I wrote a goodbye card to a friend who is moving to the Midwest this weekend. I encouraged her with Proverbs 3:5+6 which talks about trusting in the Lord with all of our heart and how God will make our paths straight. Then I flipped over to Psalm 119:105 about the Bible being a lamp to our feet and a light for our paths. As my eyes scanned back a bit on the preceding page, I came upon verse seventy three, which says, "Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands."
At first, I felt confused about why those two ideas would sit side-by-side in the same verse. David talks about how God created him... but then he immediately switches the topic to a desire to know God's commands. Doesn't it seem like David just got distracted? Or is there a reason these two concepts go together? When I thought it over and prayed for a bit, God revealed to me that he made both humankind and his laws as his precious handiworks.
Since he formed us to have fellowship with him, he also created his laws in order to protect us from ourselves and one another. So the two ideas actually fit perfectly together. When we understand our true identity in the Lord, that he formed us with his own hands, then the response is a desire to learn and obey his commands. Knowing who we are helps us to see that God's rules are a beautiful love-list rather than a mandatory to-do list.
Sometimes we forget how much God values us; that's when we tend to shy away from a longing to follow his commands. When you think through those moments of temptation, when is it that you give in the most? When you feel totally aware of your identity in Christ? Or when you momentarily forget who you are? As Christians, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin so we can be brought back into refreshing fellowship with the Lord. Then we long to understand and follow his commands once again.
So if we want to obey God, we should stay focused on our righteous and holy identity in him. Simply put, it means we need to pray and read the Bible. Please join me as I try to remember that his "...hands made me and formed me..." so that I will long for the "...understanding to learn (his) commands."
Share your thoughts about identity and God's commands. We'd love to hear from you. Keeping it real! :)
At first, I felt confused about why those two ideas would sit side-by-side in the same verse. David talks about how God created him... but then he immediately switches the topic to a desire to know God's commands. Doesn't it seem like David just got distracted? Or is there a reason these two concepts go together? When I thought it over and prayed for a bit, God revealed to me that he made both humankind and his laws as his precious handiworks.
Since he formed us to have fellowship with him, he also created his laws in order to protect us from ourselves and one another. So the two ideas actually fit perfectly together. When we understand our true identity in the Lord, that he formed us with his own hands, then the response is a desire to learn and obey his commands. Knowing who we are helps us to see that God's rules are a beautiful love-list rather than a mandatory to-do list.
Sometimes we forget how much God values us; that's when we tend to shy away from a longing to follow his commands. When you think through those moments of temptation, when is it that you give in the most? When you feel totally aware of your identity in Christ? Or when you momentarily forget who you are? As Christians, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin so we can be brought back into refreshing fellowship with the Lord. Then we long to understand and follow his commands once again.
So if we want to obey God, we should stay focused on our righteous and holy identity in him. Simply put, it means we need to pray and read the Bible. Please join me as I try to remember that his "...hands made me and formed me..." so that I will long for the "...understanding to learn (his) commands."
Share your thoughts about identity and God's commands. We'd love to hear from you. Keeping it real! :)
