Psalm 119:56

Psalm 119:56

Good practice

Here’s another little thought that demands our consideration. It’s the fact that “remembering the name of the Lord and keeping His Law” requires some practice! Years ago, I commuted into London every day for work. This meant getting up at 6.30am and being out of the house at 7.00am ready to drive to Colchester Station to catch a train before 8.00am. I did not leave myself much time for Bible study and contemplative prayer! I might add that prayer and Bible study were impossible on the train, like most commuters as soon as I sat down in the carriage, I fell asleep. In those years the practice of involving the Lord in my day was reduced to jumbled conversations and little more than the quick memorization of a verse of Scripture. You see, a proper relationship with anyone we love requires time and discipline, these things don’t just happen. It’s no different with the Lord. If we are to grow in Him and draw closer to Him, we have to prioritise the relationship, and that requires discipline or practice. 

Reading and studying the Law of God is not “edge of the seat” stuff, the writer of the Psalm recognised that it took time, effort, concentration and discipline. If you like, it needed to become a daily routine in an undisturbed place with no outside distractions. We have access to much more of God’s Word, it is readily available in Bibles or on-line, there are innumerable helps and guides that help us to understand the texts but even if we have all of these, we need to establish good practice. Make time for our Father today, and tomorrow, and the day after. Get into good habits and then it will be much easier to obey His precepts! 

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