Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119: 97-105, NKJV.
Merciful God, how we love to study Your Word! Please increase our joy as we meet and break bread together. This is our humble plea in the holy name of our Savior, our Friend, and soon-coming King – Jesus, the Christ! Amen.
I do not know about you, but I am just in glee, over the wonderful lessons that keep popping up in the Word of God regarding the blessings that can be ours, as we “search the Scriptures” (John 5: 39). Today, before we continue with the latter part of our devotional, let us enumerate the ways in which we experience growth as we “stay” with the Word – the Living Word, and the written word!
“I have restrained my feet from every evil way[.]” I believe what the psalmist is really saying is: “I have the strength to restrain my feet from every evil way, because I “keep Your word.” We must never lose sight of the fact that Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15: 7, 8). When we are abiding in the Savior, and His Words are abiding in us, we will be inspired to ask for those things that will bring glory to the Father.
Earlier, the psalmist asked, and answered, the question about the source of our strength to make the right choices, and to refrain from doing evil, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119: 9-11). “Christ in [us]” is our only” hope of glory” (Colossians 1: 27)!
“I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me.” As I read about the two disciples of Jesus on the road to Emmaus on that resurrection Sunday, I believe I can better understand what the psalmist is saying here. Understanding of the Scriptures is obtained by sitting in the presence of Jesus, and having Him, through His Holy Spirit “break” bread, with us. Listen carefully to the narrative of this event and allow your minds to catch a glimpse of what I am trying to share: “Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight” (Luke 24: 28-31, emphasis provided).
If we would slow down from our hustle and bustle, and like these disciples, invite Jesus to come in and “sup” with us (Revelation 3: 20), I truly believe that we will be stronger, and wiser, and more peaceful, because of it. Gone was their disappointment. Gone was their frustration. Gone were their doubts! And all it took was an invitation to spend some time with the Savior. May God help us today, on this day of rest, to ask the Savior to join us, as we break bread together!
Have a Happy Sabbath!