Mem – The Sweetness of God’s Word^­

⁹⁷ Oh how I love your law!
    It is my meditation all the day.
⁹⁸ Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
    for it is ever with me.
⁹⁹ I have more understanding than all my teachers,
    for your testimonies are my meditation.
¹⁰⁰ I understand more than the aged,
    for I keep your precepts.
¹⁰¹ I hold back my feet from every evil way,
    in order to keep your word.
¹⁰² I do not turn aside from your rules,
    for you have taught me.
¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ Through your precepts I get understanding;
    therefore I hate every false way.

Nun – The Illumination God’s Word Provides^­

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.
¹⁰⁶ I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
    to keep your righteous rules.
¹⁰⁷ I am severely afflicted;
    give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
¹⁰⁸ Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
    and teach me your rules.
¹⁰⁹ I hold my life in my hand continually,
    but I do not forget your law.
¹¹⁰ The wicked have laid a snare for me,
    but I do not stray from your precepts.
¹¹¹ Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
    for they are the joy of my heart.
¹¹² I incline my heart to perform your statutes
    forever, to the end.

Reflection

1. The psalmist loved God’s law, it gave him more wisdom than his enemies, his teachers, and the elderly sages who did not have it. It had enabled him to maintain his personal purity.
2. If God’s Word is sweeter to us than worldly wisdom (v103) and if we are steadfast in following God’s word, we can also stand strong through the ups and downs of life…and bring glory to God.
3. If you google v105, you’ll get over 200,000 hits. There is a song titled after this verse and a video of musicians performing the song. There is also a book with the verse as its title. You can even buy a plaque for your wall or desk with this verse on it. What makes this verse so special?
4. It’s the truth this verse conveys that God’s Word is our light in a dark world showing us the way home. It is easy to get lost in life. We have so many decisions to make and so many distractions. How do we find our way back? By turning to God’s Word, our lamp and our light.
5. When we stand firm in God’s word and live by it (vv106-112), the truth comes alive. We become living testimonies of the power of God’s Word to illuminate darkened lives and transform people from being lost to being on a journey with God.
6. Do you consider yourself a student of God’s Word? To follow Jesus, we need to know his ways. We learn about his character, his ways, and his expectations of his followers by reading and studying God’s Word.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer. Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me. Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

^­    Subtitle of each paragraph is from www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/htm/OT/Psalms/Psalms.htm