Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the entire bible! It has 176 verses. Surely, there must be a lot of truth there. Today as I opened it, I was captivated by the first 8 verses. I plan to commit them to memory.

Why not grab your bible or open your bible app and read them too.

This section of scripture speaks of…

• Joy
• Obedience
• Righteousness.

These are all characteristics I want in my life and in my walk with God. But, how do we get them? Verse 2 says, “…joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts”. That seems pretty straight forward!

The more scripture we take into our hearts and minds, the more we see God’s love and desire for a relationship with us. He wants us to experience joy, peace and fellowship with Him.

The key to the whole deal, is the “searching for Him” part of verse 2:

• Spending time in His word
• Seeking Him in prayer
• Applying what we read to our heart’s and lives

If you have children, you know that when they are small, you have to teach them everything. How to eat, walk and talk. It gets more complicated as they grow. The life lessons get trickier to maneuver. As we see them learn from their mistakes and begin to make right choices for themselves, we have some joy in parenting. They are beginning to “get it!” Remember the phrase “when you know better, you do better?” That’s life lessons in a nutshell.

It’s the same with God’s word. As we read it and learn from it, applying it to our lives is the next natural step. How about verse 7?

“As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should. ”

Truly, that’s where the joy and peace are found, in obedience. But, verse 8 honestly reflects the human condition. It’s the cry of my heart, “Please don’t give up on me!” (Psalm 119:8). He knows us. He knows we will try and fail. He never leaves or forgets us. What a wonderful promise!

Image by Ichigo121212 from Pixabay