Today brings more gems from Psalms 119 -
"Be good to your servant, God; be as good as your Word. Train me in good common sense; I'm thoroughly committed to living your way. Before I learned to answer you, I wandered all over the place, but now I'm in step with your Word. You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness. The godless spread lies about me, but I focus my attention on what you are saying; They're bland as a bucket of lard, while I dance to the tune of your revelation. My troubles turned out all for the best — they forced me to learn from your textbook. Truth from your mouth means more to me than striking it rich in a gold mine. (Psalms 119:65-72 - from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
As I read the words, "Train me in good common sense;" I think of the saying, "common sense isn't common". Clearly God's ways are NOT the common way of doing things - yet they are indeed the most sensible - they bring the best results by far.
And I can relate to the idea of wandering all over the place. My search for God was a lot like wandering in the wilderness. I've had so many things I had to un-learn - so many of those foolish old tapes that have nothing to do with the reality of life with God! I note that the Psalmist says this wandering occurred before he learned to answer God. Hmmm, I always thought of it as being before I learned to listen to God. Are there some things I need to answer Him with? I think of Samuel's response - "Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth." Of course a response is required. I need to respond "Yes, Lord"! Father, may I follow you so well that I can truly say, "I'm in step with your Word"!
God is indeed good and the source of good - and I can be trained in His goodness! What a great reminder. If ever I get discouraged and don't see a lot of good in my life, these are times to ask God to train me in His goodness! And even when I think I see a lot of good, I need to continue to ask God to train me in His goodness because God doesn't see as man sees. We're told, "For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (I Sam 16:7 - Amplified Bible). Father, I want your goodness to be my guide. I want to be trained in your goodness that I can be a channel for Your goodness in this world. And I want to learn from you and remember to value as you do - to focus on the inner person, not outward appearances - whether looking at myself, or any other of your children. Thank you, Father!
I've had many experiences of people spreading lies about me, and it's been painful. I'm sad to say that sometimes I've even allowed such experiences to make me fearful and cause me to be too cautious about stepping out and doing what God has called me to do. I am reminded, "For you have now received not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption in which we cry Abba, (Father)! Father!" (Romans 8:15 - Amplified Bible) Clearly at these times, I need to turn the focus of my attention to what my Heavenly Father is saying to me, and I love the visual here of dancing to the tune of God's revelation! This is indeed the truth of the matter. When I keep my focus on God where it belongs, I can rest in the shelter of His arms and dance, instead of worrying about what gossips are saying about me! I am so grateful!
I also have experienced the fact that "my troubles turned out all for the best" - or as Romans 8:28 puts it, "all things work together for good". But I don't want to rely on trouble to cause me to learn from God's textbook! I want to enjoy dancing with Him everyday! However, when trouble comes, I certainly want to remember that it will turn out all for the best, trust my Heavenly Father, and continue to seek His guidance.
Father, I am so grateful for your guidance! I am ashamed when I see how easily the opinions of others and fear of their gossip can make me hesitant to follow your lead. Father, in the storms of life I want to ALWAYS keep my eyes on you! I think of our upcoming dance showcase and my fears of looking foolish as I dance with my husband - fears of making mistakes and of looking ungainly instead of graceful - and I realize I sometimes have similar fears when it comes to dancing with you, Father. I fear I'll look foolish to those around me, that I'll cause us to look ungainly as I misinterpret your lead or forget to wait on you and instead step out on my own. But, just like I haven't let those fears stop me from dancing with my husband, knowing that only practice will teach me to follow as I ought, I don't want to let such fears keep me from dancing with you Lord! And I realize that just as in dancing with my husband, as long as I am on this earthly plane, there will be times when I make a misstep, and always more to learn - how to follow ever more fully, and how to execute ever more intricate steps! Thank you, Father, for your patience as I'm learning, and for your guidance. I DO value your guidance much more than all the gold in a goldmine.
And I can relate to the idea of wandering all over the place. My search for God was a lot like wandering in the wilderness. I've had so many things I had to un-learn - so many of those foolish old tapes that have nothing to do with the reality of life with God! I note that the Psalmist says this wandering occurred before he learned to answer God. Hmmm, I always thought of it as being before I learned to listen to God. Are there some things I need to answer Him with? I think of Samuel's response - "Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth." Of course a response is required. I need to respond "Yes, Lord"! Father, may I follow you so well that I can truly say, "I'm in step with your Word"!
God is indeed good and the source of good - and I can be trained in His goodness! What a great reminder. If ever I get discouraged and don't see a lot of good in my life, these are times to ask God to train me in His goodness! And even when I think I see a lot of good, I need to continue to ask God to train me in His goodness because God doesn't see as man sees. We're told, "For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (I Sam 16:7 - Amplified Bible). Father, I want your goodness to be my guide. I want to be trained in your goodness that I can be a channel for Your goodness in this world. And I want to learn from you and remember to value as you do - to focus on the inner person, not outward appearances - whether looking at myself, or any other of your children. Thank you, Father!
I've had many experiences of people spreading lies about me, and it's been painful. I'm sad to say that sometimes I've even allowed such experiences to make me fearful and cause me to be too cautious about stepping out and doing what God has called me to do. I am reminded, "For you have now received not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption in which we cry Abba, (Father)! Father!" (Romans 8:15 - Amplified Bible) Clearly at these times, I need to turn the focus of my attention to what my Heavenly Father is saying to me, and I love the visual here of dancing to the tune of God's revelation! This is indeed the truth of the matter. When I keep my focus on God where it belongs, I can rest in the shelter of His arms and dance, instead of worrying about what gossips are saying about me! I am so grateful!
I also have experienced the fact that "my troubles turned out all for the best" - or as Romans 8:28 puts it, "all things work together for good". But I don't want to rely on trouble to cause me to learn from God's textbook! I want to enjoy dancing with Him everyday! However, when trouble comes, I certainly want to remember that it will turn out all for the best, trust my Heavenly Father, and continue to seek His guidance.
Father, I am so grateful for your guidance! I am ashamed when I see how easily the opinions of others and fear of their gossip can make me hesitant to follow your lead. Father, in the storms of life I want to ALWAYS keep my eyes on you! I think of our upcoming dance showcase and my fears of looking foolish as I dance with my husband - fears of making mistakes and of looking ungainly instead of graceful - and I realize I sometimes have similar fears when it comes to dancing with you, Father. I fear I'll look foolish to those around me, that I'll cause us to look ungainly as I misinterpret your lead or forget to wait on you and instead step out on my own. But, just like I haven't let those fears stop me from dancing with my husband, knowing that only practice will teach me to follow as I ought, I don't want to let such fears keep me from dancing with you Lord! And I realize that just as in dancing with my husband, as long as I am on this earthly plane, there will be times when I make a misstep, and always more to learn - how to follow ever more fully, and how to execute ever more intricate steps! Thank you, Father, for your patience as I'm learning, and for your guidance. I DO value your guidance much more than all the gold in a goldmine.
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This blog is simply a sharing of my "daily bread" - my daily walk with God. If something I've said has touched your heart, or sparked a new thought, I'd love to hear from you.