God Speaks
Teth
65 You have done many good things for me, Lord,
just as you promised.
66 I believe in your commands;
now teach me good judgment and knowledge.
67 I used to wander off until you disciplined me;
but now I closely follow your word.
68 You are good and do only good;
teach me your decrees.
69 Arrogant people smear me with lies,
but in truth I obey your commandments with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are dull and stupid,
but I delight in your instructions.
71 My suffering was good for me,
for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.
72 Your instructions are more valuable to me
than millions in gold and silver.
Yodh
73 You made me; you created me.
Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,
for I have put my hope in your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair;
you disciplined me because I needed it.
76 Now let your unfailing love comfort me,
just as you promised me, your servant.
77 Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live,
for your instructions are my delight.
78 Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me;
meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.
79 Let me be united with all who fear you,
with those who know your laws.
80 May I be blameless in keeping your decrees;
then I will never be ashamed.
Kaph
81 I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word.
82 My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.
When will you comfort me?
83 I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke,
but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.
84 How long must I wait?
When will you punish those who persecute me?
85 These arrogant people who hate your instructions
have dug deep pits to trap me.
86 All your commands are trustworthy.
Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.
87 They almost finished me off,
but I refused to abandon your commandments.
88 In your unfailing love, spare my life;
then I can continue to obey your laws.
Lamedh
89 Your eternal word, O Lord,
stands firm in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
as enduring as the earth you created.
91 Your regulations remain true to this day,
for everything serves your plans.
92 If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy,
I would have died in my misery.
93 I will never forget your commandments,
for by them you give me life.
94 I am yours; rescue me!
For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments.
95 Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me,
I will quietly keep my mind on your laws.
96 Even perfection has its limits,
but your commands have no limit.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Psalm 119:65-72, 73-80, 81-88, and 89-96
1. What do these verses from Psalm 119 tell me about God?
2. What do these verses from Psalm 119 tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Verses 65-72
1. The LORD God does many good things for the people who follow His instructions. Wisdom and knowledge come from Him.
2. We human beings are often wayward and arrogant.
Verses 73-80
1. The LORD God is a good father who disciplines his children while surrounding them with tender mercies.
2. People who fear the LORD find joy, hope, and protection from shame.
Verses 81-88
1. The LORD God punishes those who persecute other people or arrogantly hate His instructions.
2. People who wait on the LORD are protected and/or rescued.
Verses 89-96
1. The LORD’s word is eternal, unchanging throughout the generations.
2. People can look to and rely on the LORD for rescue.
Prayer:
[The author of this blog has formed prayers based on Psalm 119 with a view of the LORD God calling people to follow His instructions as laid out in this beautiful psalm. All of Psalm 119 has been “prayer-a-phrased” to pray for We the People of the United States of America.]
3. How might I pray regarding Psalm 119:65-72, 73-80, 81-88, and 89-96?
Teth
65. You have done many good things for We the People, LORD, just as You promised.
66. We the People [many of US] believe [or agree to live by] Your commands; now teach US good judgment and knowledge [even more important, wisdom].
67. We the People [have] wandered off; we deserve Your discipline. After that may we closely follow Your word.
68. You, O LORD, are good and do only good; teach US Your decrees.
69. Evil people smear US with lies, but in truth We the People will obey Your commandments with all our hearts.
70. Their hearts are dull and stupid, but We the People will delight in Your instructions.
71. May any suffering we endure result in something good for US [and/or others]; teach US Your decrees.
72. Your instructions are more valuable than [trillions] in gold and silver.
Yodh
73. You, LORD God, made US; You created US. Now give US the [good] sense to follow Your commands.
74. May all who fear You find in US a cause for joy, for We the People have put our hope in Your word.
75. We the People know, O LORD, that Your regulations are fair; You discipline US because we need it.
76. Now, let Your unfailing love comfort US, just as You promised US as Your servants.
77. Surround US with Your tender mercies so that We the People may live, for Your instructions [have become] our delight.
78. Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about US; meanwhile We the People will concentrate on Your commands.
79. Let US be united with all who fear You, with those who know [and obey] Your laws.
80. May We the People be blameless in keeping Your decrees; then we will never be ashamed.
Kaph
81. We the People are worn out waiting for Your rescue, but we [still] put our hope in Your word.
82. Our eyes are straining to see Your promises come true. When will You comfort US?
83. We the People are shriveling like a wineskin in the smoke [or like leaves in the fall], but may we not forget to obey Your decrees.
84. How long must we wait [for You to act]? When will You punish those who are [disrespecting You and] persecuting US?
85. These arrogant people who hate Your instructions have dug deep pits to trap [people who seek to proclaim Your truth].
86. All Your commands are trustworthy. Protect [Your people] from those who hunt them down [or harm them] without cause.
87. They almost finished US off, but We the People refuse to abandon Your commands.
88. In Your unfailing love, spare our lives; then We the People can continue to obey Your laws.
Lamedh
89. Your eternal word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven.
90. Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth You created.
91. Your regulations remain true to this day, for everything serves Your plans.
92. If Your instructions don’t sustain US with joy, We the People will die in our misery.
93. May We the People never forget Your commandments, for by them You give US life.
94. We the People are Yours; rescue US! May we work hard at obeying Your commandments.
95. Though the wicked hide along the way to kill US, may We the People quietly keep our minds on Your laws.
96. Even perfection has its limits, but Your commands have no limit.
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Psalm 119:65-72, 73-80, 81-88, and 89-96?
- I will thank the LORD for the many good things He has done for me.
- I will put my hope in the LORD and ask Him to show me how to bring joy to other people this week.
- I will stay alert for any traps evil people or satanic forces may have set for me so that I don’t fall for them.
- I will memorize at least one verse of God’s eternal word this week so that I can have it with me always.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.