Psalm 11957 You are my portion, O LORD; I have said that I would keep Your words.
58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.
59 I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
60 I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.
61 The cords of the wicked have bound me, But I have not forgotten Your law.
62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of Your righteous judgments.
63 I am a companion of all who fear You, And of those who keep Your precepts.
64 The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy; Teach me Your statutes.
This section of Psalm 119 got me to thinking about what I really need in life and what I really want. It caused me ask myself questions like:
- From where am I seeking my satisfaction?
- Am I a content person, satisfied with the portion in life God has given me?
- Would those around me describe me as a content person, a thankful and joyful man?
The first verse of this passage really sets the tone of the whole with the opening line: “The LORD is my portion,” or some translations make it a direct address: “You are my portion, O LORD.” The TEV paraphrase says “You are all I want O LORD.”
The statement of this psalm is that God is all I need. When “the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). I will need nothing outside of God and His provision. My God supplies all my needs. God is all-sufficient and all-satisfying. John Piper puts it this way, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
What has the psalmist experienced from God and His word that has satisfied him completely and has shown him that God is all-sufficient? As I studied this section of Psalm 119 I see that he has experienced these truths:
1. God Is My Portion (Psalm 119:57-58).
2. God is My Master (Psalm 119:59-61).
3. God is My Greatest Joy (Psalm 119:62-64).
In the next three posts I will expand on those thoughts. Would you consider asking yourself those same questions I am asking myself this week?
Posts
You know I've discovered recently that just about everyone I know has a higher opinion of me than I do. They might say that I'm joyful or confident, content or thankful, but by own esteem I'm hardly anything at all. In the same way there are plenty of people who have told me that they don't understand how I am so thankful or so God oriented and I end up thinking to myself: "I'm not that way though." Sometimes I make an effort to be all those things around other people to encourage them in it, but in the stillness of my own head I'm not always in the same state. In the stillness of my own head, nothing is ever enough it seems.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see you back at the writing desk. I have missed reading your posts. I hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteI have been without a salary now for about two months, so I find myself asking these questions quite frequently. It has occurred to me that I ask these questions more when I am in difficult times than when in good times. I have an awareness that I take the presence of God for granted when times are good.
Sage, I think it's okay that other would have a higher opinion of me than I do of myself. You have experienced the same tension that I have. I am content in the Lord because of who He is. I am satisfied completely with the Lord and who He is making me to be.
ReplyDeleteBut I never want to get to where I am complacent because I know the Lord has much more of Himself to show me. And the more I get to know God, the more He changes me to be like Him. Others rarely see this struggle in me although it is very real.
My goal is not greater self-esteem, but greater God-esteem. I want to be a man who esteems God to the highest, and myself the lowest. That is the true path to greatness in God's sight.
--Richard
Larry, It's good to be back blogging again. Hopefully I will get to read some of my favorites (like yours) again soon too.
ReplyDeleteThe same is true of the Psalmist in Psalm 119. All throughout the psalm he speaks about his affliction and trouble. But it seems all this drives him to see God and His Word more clearly. And by seeing God more clearly, he sees himself more clearly.
Praying for you. --Richard