Morning Moments

Ps 119:169
TAU is the final letter in the Hebrew alphabet and the section of Psalm 119 to be considered today.  I love this because it begins with a plea and ends with praise.  THAT is the prayer of an honest soul.

Indeed, we can come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain grace and mercy  in time of need, but we do not come into the presence of God without first having clean hands and a pure heart which only He can and will give in response to our confession (agreement with Him about our sin) and repentance (our willingness to change).

So the song says, "Allow me to approach You, Jehovah for understanding as Your word bids me do.

Ps 119:170
Please give attention to my request and bring deliverance in accordance with Your word.

The eye of the Lord is always upon us and the cry of our heart is near His ear.
The attentive mother has a built in antenna for the cry of her child.  She knows if it is a cry of anger or a cry of desperation.

So it is with the Lord, our God, and even more so.  He senses the emergency in the sound of our spirit as it cries out to Him.

Ps 119:171
The idea in this verse is not a bargain to do something if you get something, but an affirmation of praise because you have been given something.

In other words, praise, which is "comely" (attractive, beautiful) for those He has declared "right" with Him.

We praise the Lord first and foremost because He is worthy of the praise, but we also praise the Lord for what we have IN Him - wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

Ps 119:172
No wonder we can't be silent!  Imagine this:  You are swimming in the lake.  Suddenly, a log hits you in the head and you begin the process of drowning.  I see it happen, jump in, pull you out, and you live.

Would you then be ashamed to tell others who saved your life?  Of course not, that is common sense.  And you would live the rest of your life expressing in one way or another your sense of gratitude for your "salvation".  That is exactly what happened to me and to every true child of God, and is why we cannot and will not be silent about it.

Ps 119:173
The precepts of God as as a lifeline to a "man overboard".  When one is drowning, he will fight the survivor until he reaches exhaustion and gives in to the "savior". 
The psalmist says, I am clinging to your precepts as one who is drowning and has been tossed a lifeline.

Think of it another way:  A child is with his father crossing a busy street.  The child has been told of impending danger of traffic and tragedy.  The child understands that to let go may lead to certain hurt.  Do you honestly believe that child is then going to let go?  Certainly not if the child has believed and understood the ramifications of letting go.

Ps 119:174
What are we longing for as victims of such events?  Safety and security, and that is precisely what God gives His children.  We delight in the law of the Lord because we understand it is our safety net.

I may fall, BUT under me there is a safety net - the everlasting arms of God Himself.  Praise the Lord!

Ps 119:175
The judicial decrees of God are as a voice from the ship to the drowning seaman who wants to live.  The voice says, "Grab the rope", and the drowning seaman thinks, "Thank God, I will live".

We who have been rescued from the sea of sin, shout out our gratitude to the One who threw us a lifeline.

Ps 119:176
The hymn writer writes, "Prone to wonder, prone to leave the God I love".  God knows the magnetism of the world around us, so when we go astray as a lamb wandering off the path for pasture, our Loving Shepherd seeks us and rescues us and we never forget what He has done for us.

What a glorious focus upon the need for and appreciation for the Word of God in the heart of every true believer.

BLESSINGS!