Psalm 119:97-104 [the letter Mem]
97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
With Valentine’s Day just behind us, we may be thinking about what love, or at least “romantic” love, is like. How about - “I just can’t stop thinking about her/him!” In many ways, this is true; in those early stages when the excitement and romance are high, it is hard to turn your thoughts away from the other person. But as someone who has been married for more than 20 years, I can say that a mark of lasting (hopefully more real) love is also thinking about the other person. For a while it was full of emotion and “I can’t help it.” Then it became deliberate, choosing to remember and think of him. Now, it is much more of a habit to think of my husband.
Our thought life toward God’s word can be like that. When we love God’s word, we think about it; we meditate on it. And when we meditate on God’s word, we grow to love it more, and even more, as we experience its goodness and benefits. Then one day, we come to realize that it is more of a habit to think of God’s ways and word. What a time to look forward to!
Let’s ask God to give us a love for His word that meditates on it. Then, find a way today to remind yourself to turn your thoughts to God’s word again and again. (Some suggestions - set an hourly reminder on your phone, showing a verse God has put on your heart; put a post-it note somewhere you go often each day; write a star or symbol on your hand to remind you; set up with a friend to snapchat each other a certain verse several times a day.)
When you have 5-10 minutes to yourself today, read Psalm 119:57-112 aloud. As you do so, choose and hold onto one or two verses that you will meditate on in the days to come.
- BR
