As those of you who follow this blog know, the ways of God have been much on my mind lately. God has a way for everything. Discovering His way requires we give up our own – a big part of the death to self and surrender to God required for our salvation (Mark 8:35).
Furthermore, God’s way is always the best way – something particularly important during seasons of storms and chaos. Finding God’s way is pretty much synonymous with finding the center of His will – certainly the safest place to be in tribulation, persecution, affliction, etc.
Recently, I was surprised and interested to discover the way and ways of God mentioned numerous times in the opening verses of Psalm 119. I cannot tell you how many times I have read this “longest of the Psalms” as a dissertation of the commandments, testimonies, precepts, etc. of the Law of God, accompanied by strong encouragement to obedience. Discovering its many references to God’s way has broadened its meaning for me.
So, let us take a look at a few of the way of God passages and see what we can learn.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the Lord! (v. 1)
The Psalm opens with reference to “the way,” which reminds us that Jesus is the way (John 14:6), and those who walk in it are blessed. James gives us another good reference:
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world (James 1:27).
Our pursuit of God’s way involves service and separation. We must actively defend the defenseless and defend ourselves from being defiled by the world.
They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways. (v. 3)
Those who walk in the ways of God avoid injustice, unrighteousness, wickedness, and perversity. One might observe that this sounds a lot like holiness and wonder how such a thing is possible. Well, we wrote something about that, beginning here.
Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes! (v. 5)
Here the psalmist expresses a passionate desire to be directed into the ways of God. In this regard, the New Covenant people of God have a distinct advantage: The Holy Spirit has been sent to guide us into all truth (John 16:13).
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches. (v. 14)
We too should rejoice in the way God has communicated His way in the Scriptures. We can now worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. (v. 27)
This verse is particularly interesting. If I understand correctly, God’s precepts (aka, commandments) come with a prescribed way for our obedience. That will need to be the subject of a future article. For now, we observe a clue to its meaning:
God’s way for obedience is closely related to His wonderful works. Might His wonderful works be those described in Matthew 5:16 and Ephesians 2:10, and perhaps related to our obedience to the faith (Romans 1:5), leading to the work of faith in our lives (James 2:22)?
I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me. (v. 30)
Wow! Now we know there is a way of truth (another article?). And this reminds us that Jesus is not only the way, but also the truth (and the life; John 14:6).
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall keep it to the end. (v. 33)
According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon (found in BlueLetterBible.org), statutes are “something prescribed.” Forgive me for being a definition nerd, but I sense something more here: a way to discover, understand, and exercise God’s prescribed ways. The psalmist seems confident that once he learns it, it will never escape him.
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way. (v. 37)
And finally, we come back to the psalmist earnest plea for help in the discovery and exercise of God’s way – to be made alive again toward the always-good ways of God. Importantly, there is a precondition for God’s help: The need to turn our eyes away from looking at worthless things.
From my experience, worthless things are not necessarily evil things (e.g., pornography). They are things that will not profit God’s kingdom or my responsibilities in it. Each one must determine for themselves with the Holy Spirit’s counsel and conviction. For me, worthless things include Facebook videos and sporting events (I’m just saying).
So, what do we do with all this? For me personally, God has revealed some additional ways to search out and report on, and the encouragement of knowing the Holy Spirit guides and counsels us to walk in God’s ways.
I hope and pray you are similarly encouraged to pursue God’s way in everything. After all, His way is always the best way.
God bless you with the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
Have a strong day in the Lord,
Rob
#iamjustthepen