Psalm 119:29

Psalm 119:29

Keep me from deceitful ways

There is a well-known quotation, found in Proverbs 14:12, that goes, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”  I wonder how many of us have embarked on a pathway that looked perfectly reasonable and correct, only to later find that we were being misled, and the promised outcome was very different to what was initially being offered? The devil certainly works that way, and because the world is under his control, it too flatters to deceive. So much of the advice we are given and so many of the carrots that are dangled before us lead to disappointment and frustration and we have to turn back and have a re-think. Let today’s verse prompt us to avoid such dilemmas, let’s constantly pray for the wisdom to discern the correct paths for our lives’ journeys. 

Which brings us to the second part of this verse; God’s laws are to be trusted and are only ever written for our instruction and to implant wisdom. There is no deceitfulness in Him, His ways are honest and true, and it is better to follow them fanatically than to ignore them and choose the world’s alternatives. Notice that the writer of these words wants to emphasise that the Lord his God is not an overbearing tyrant who commands that we cower before His demands. We are encouraged to appeal to the graciousness of the Lord, in other words He is a generous, kind and courteous Father to all who seek Him and who seek to walk in His ways. Hallelujah! 

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