This teaching by Pastor Barry was recorded at our family service on Sunday 18th September 2016. This is the 6th session in our verse-by-verse study of Psalm 119.
The first four verses of this Psalm outline God’s perfect standard for any who would truly follow Him, with a whole heart. The next four verses recall the hope we have that one day we will be conformed, transformed and renewed outwardly as well as inwardly. We will awake in the likeness of Christ (Psalm 17:15), and all the troubles, trials and temptations of this life will be past (1 Cor 15:53). But until that time we are to “walk by faith, not by sight”(2 Cor 5:7). We are to “walk in the Spirit, and not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”(Gal 5:16). We are to “walk worthy of the calling wherein we are called” (Eph 4:1).
But how? How are we to do this when we are continually wrestling against the world, the flesh and the devil?
The remainder of this Psalm is your guidebook to walking a life of victory! That may sound quite a claim, but this Psalm is the voice of experience. It has walked this path before and has been given to us by the Holy Spirit to be a companion on our journey, an instructor with Godly counsel.
In this week’s study we looked at verses 33 – 40.
The intensity of this section builds as the Psalmist finds himself right in the heat of the battle. There is a growing in grace all the way through this Psalm. However, rather than now finding himself moving from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God (Acts 26:18), as he may well by now have expected, he finds that despite his heart’s desire to follow and serve the Lord, his cries to God have only seemed to intensify the struggle.
His dependence on God has never been so great; note the cry: “Teach me…”, “Give me…”, “Make me…” “Incline my heart…”, “Turn away my eyes…”, “Establish Your Word…”, “Turn away my reproach…”.
Spurgeon comments: A sense of dependence and a consciousness of extreme need pervade this section, which is all made up of prayer and plea.
Solomon said: “That which is crooked cannot be made straight” (Ecclesiastes 1:15), yet that is exactly the plea from the Psalmists broken heart. Can it be that God can really straighten out our crooked lives? If so, it has to be a work entirely of His grace, for in my flesh no good thing dwells (Romans 7:18). I have nothing in me whereby I might bring about the transformation in my heart and mind that I long for.
Yet, despite the struggle, I cannot get out of my mind the double blessing awaiting any who discover the secret of walking by faith! Oh to be undefiled and walk in His way! Oh to truly and daily keep His testimonies! That longing is still burning in my soul, that knowing that ‘there will be a day…’ and I will not give up now I am so close to the finish. If I have to endure hardship as a soldier of Christ, I will be strong in the Grace that is found in Him (see 2 Timothy 2:1-4).
May God bless you as you study His Word.
Pastor Barry.
