Psalm 119:33-40 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 119:33-40 on biblegateway.com
Verse 33Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end.
Verse 34Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Verse 35Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Verse 36Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.
Verse 37Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways.
Verse 38Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you.
Verse 39Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good.
Verse 40See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.
Devotion
When I was in college, I heard a speaker at our campus ministry share about a sure-proof way to "CAP" our Christian life. The acronym stood for complacency, apathy and passivity. If as Christians we let these three things rule our lives, the speaker said, they will get in the way of us growing in relationship with God. They will prevent us from living as the people of God we are created and called to be.
In these verses from Psalm 119, the psalmist prays that God will continue to teach him God's ways and lead him according to God's truth. The psalmist prays for understanding and a willingness to live his life according to God's word. It is as though the psalmist could have said, "Lord, keep complacency, apathy and passivity from distracting me from your ways. Help me to live as the person of God you have created and called me to be."
Prayer
God of wisdom and truth, keep complacency, apathy and passivity from getting in the way of what you want me to do today. By your Spirit, help me to live as the person of God you have created and called me to be. In Jesus' name, Amen.