What is My Desire? (Psalm 119:57-72)

This passage has been a huge challenge to me lately, so I thought I would share it with you guys. This section of verses starts and ends with the Psalmist's desire - God and His Word. That for one thing made me stop and ask myself - "What is my desire? Do I desire the Lord? Is He the one Who satisfies my deepest longings?" God is the ONLY one Who can satisfy me! He is the only one Who can give me TRUE joy! So why then do I go around trying to make other people or things satisfy me? That doesn't even make sense? It is my sinful self that causes me to do that. That is why I have to, each day, crucify my flesh and submit to God's leading and control in my life. Then the Psalmist goes on in verses 58 through 64 to list the things that he has done and how he has been obeying the Lord in every aspect of his life. That was a challenge to me of my actions. Am I always obeying God, or do I try to satisfy myself sometimes and make it look like I am obeying the Lord? In the middle of this section of verses, the Psalmist mentions that he rises at midnight to give thanks to the Lord for His works and righteousness. Is that my character? Will I at any time of the day or night drop what I am doing (even sleeping) to praise the Lord? I normally don't do that! Then in verses 65 through 71 the Psalmist basically presents to us a three-point sermon:
I. Affliction is Good!
II. Affliction Teaches Me Obedience.
III. Affliction Teaches Me God's Word.
In verse 67 the Psalmist says "BEFORE I was afflicted I went astray: BUT..." So affliction is a good thing because it brings me back to the Lord and to His Word. Then in the rest of verse 67 the Psalmist say that "now have I kept Thy Word." This shows that affliction teaches me to obey the Lord. When I am not doing right, I don't just obey God. I want nothing to do with God! Then in verse 68 the Psalmist goes back to the point of affliction being good. God brings affliction, and the Psalmist says "Thou art good, and doest good;" God IS good in His very essence and character! EVERYTHING He does(even bringing trials in my life) is GOOD! Wow. That is a hard reality to accept and grasp. Then in verse 71 the Psalmist says "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes." He is saying finally that affliction teaches me God's Word. When I am going through a hard time, that is when I tend to be in God's Word the most. I go to the Word for comfort and satisfaction when I am hurting. But when everything is okay, then I have no reason to go to God's Word because I can make it on my own. Then God has to break me and bring a trial in my life to teach me that I need Him and His Word to make it even in the good times. Then in verse 72, the last verse of this section, the Psalmist says that the Word of God is more valuable to him than "thousands of gold and silver." How much does God's Word mean to me? Do I desire it above anything else? That is a strong statement to make. I know that I cannot make it. Anyway, I hope this is an encouragement and even a challenge to everyone who reads it. Let God be everything in your life, and He will satisfy the desires of your heart!


~"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." (Psalm 37:4)~

~ Stephanie ~

   *Phil. 3:13-14*