Psalm 119:7

Psalm 119:7

I will praise You

This verse and its successor are a statement of intent! “I will praise You with an upright heart ….. I will obey Your decrees.” Intentions are great, in truth we would get nowhere without them, we’ve probably all been having them, good and bad, every day of our lives. However, we are weak and vulnerable human beings, like the proverbial New Year resolutions our good intentions can quickly be broken, and we end up ashamed and feeling very sorry for ourselves! Let’s thank God that He does not give up on us but rather, He bends down, takes our hand and helps us to stand up and press on with the journey.

It is right therefore to have good intentions, and on this day, “I will praise You, Lord, with an upright heart.” The first part of the verse is an easy one for me, It’s Sunday and 2 hours from now I will be gathering with brothers and sisters to do just that, to praise the Lord! The thing is, the psalmist goes on to suggest one of the reasons for praising Him, it’s one that we don’t often consider, especially in corporate gatherings. He intends to praise as He learns God’s righteous laws. The Hebrew word for laws here is “Mishpatim” and it describes those rules and directives that are laid down by a ruler or a king. So, as we consider the broad expanse of God’s laws, we recognise their origins and because they are from God, we know that they are righteous. They are good for us. They are the opposite of the world’s values. They are the directives from heaven that will help to keep us clean and holy before the Lord. They are sweet and pure and beautiful for they emanate from the heart of a loving, holy God who is concerned for our welfare. Good reason to praise Him surely? 

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