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| Living Word Bible Church, Indianapolis, IN |
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You!
12 Blessed are You, O LORD!
Teach me Your statutes!
13 With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
Psalm 119:9-16, New King James Version
Protestants rightly stand for Sola Scriptura. After all, the alternative to basing everything on God's word is trusting the word of man instead. However, we often forget why we stand for Scripture, which is because it transforms lives. This segment gives several examples of this. Verse 9 says its how a young man can cleanse his way. The well-known 11th verse points out it keeps us from sin. And the next verse talks about the joy it provides.
Verse 10 is an excellent prayer. It suggests that we seek him with our whole heart, and ask Him to keep us from wandering from His commandments. I find it easy to wander. We don't often take a running leap away from the truth, but rather wander a step or two away at a time before we're way off.
Verse 13 mentions meditating on God's Word. When you read the word "meditation," don't think of the Eastern mystical approach of emptying one's mind. On the contrary, Biblical meditation involves filling your mind with Scripture.
I've done a lot of Scripture memorization. When my mind tends to drift, I start reviewing Bible passages I've memorized. That definitely makes a better day.
