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90 Days of Prayer Day Seventy-Three
Blessed and Empowered
Psalm 119:1
”Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.”
Psalm 119 is by far my favorite. This Psalm is divided into twenty-two stanzas each containing eight verses. Going in alphabetical order each stanza begins with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. Here we have one hundred seventy six verses proclaiming the limitless benefits of walking in the light of God’s Word.
The Psalmist begins the Psalm with the most basic principle of obedience that opens the doors to God’s blessings. It is a fact that our love for God is demonstrated by practicing His Word. Living according to God’s Word opens the storehouse of blessings. I am reminded of James 1:22-25 where we are instructed to be doers of the Word and not hearers only, because there is where the blessings are.
Enabled by Love to Keep God’s Word
To develop a lifestyle of walking in the light of God’s Word requires some self-discipline. To train yourself to intentionally think speak and practice God’s instructions as your way of life demonstrates your love for Him.
Jesus taught a wholehearted devotion to him when he said “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them”– John 14:21.
It’s being loved by God that leads to keeping His Word which leads to His blessing, which in turn leads to Jesus revealing himself to us… and there’s no greater blessing than that!
Both love and obedience are heart issues and you cannot have one without the other. Intimate fellowship with God begins with love as He defines it, and love begins with obedience. The amazing about obedience is that it’s made possible by God’s grace being imparted to us during our intimate times of fellowship with Him. “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).
Since it is only by God’s empowering grace that we are able to obey Him, it is then only by Him loving us first that enables us to love Him in return. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).
Again “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). God’s Amazing grace (undeserved favor) empowering us, causes us to love walking in the light of His word: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love” (2 John 1:6).
Follow God’s Instructions and God’s Blessings Will Follow You
The Psalmist expresses his love for God and His Word, because he has been captivated by God’s love for him. He cannot help but to begin this psalm with the word “Blessed,” which in the original literally means: “Happy,” “Happiness,” “Blessed,” “Blessedness.” With this kind of undeserved favor being constantly poured out on you, how can you not make conformity to God’s Word your highest priority? Nothing but His blessings await you if you do.
You will enjoy God’s peace and protection; His Word will keep you from heading down the wrong road. Through God’s great and precious promises, you will escape corruption, grow in grace, and flourish in His many gifts pouring through you to others. You will find His Presence bringing peace to your soul and balance to your emotions at every turn.
Your whole being will become flooded with His light; you will begin treating others with the same love that you’re receiving from God. You too will become lost in His goodness and mercy, so much so, that your times alone with Him will become times of heaven on earth, and I am sure that you will Be Blessed, and Be Encouraged! -JSP