Ever have that inside adrenalin rush?
For me, the eruption comes in a quiet moment when the sheer joy of knowing God and having His refreshing word close at hand shoots up inside like a geyser.
You sense in a fresh, soul-showering way that you are incredibly fortunate to have a relationship with your Creator that is more...more than the majestic display of His power in the universe...more than the assurance than He will bring all things to their proper end, and then regeneration...just more.
The more is that His witness to what is truly true ("Your testimonies") is visited in your life when you taste and see the the Lord is good. When you find the words of God and you eat them. When you discover afresh something that you may have neglected (like Josiah's find of God's law in the storage closets of the temple), and the Spirit reminds you through your find that God Himself is eager to guide and direct the course of your life.
"Your testimonies are wonderful!!" (119:129)
The more you allow your life to be informed and shaped and blessed by God's testimonies...well, the more you understand the last verse in this 17th section of Psalm 119. Notice the first verse, then the last.
Your testimonies are wonderful,
therefore my soul keeps them.
The unfolding of Your word gives light,
it imparts understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant,
because I long for Your commandments
Turn to me and be gracious to me
as is Your way with those who love your name.
Keep steady my steps according to Your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
Redeem me from man's oppression,
that I may keep Your precepts.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
and teach me Your statutes.
My eyes shed streams of tears,
because people do not keep Your law.
The unparalleled benefits of the Lord's word are repeatedly celebrated in the middle verses. The shout of joy over them at the first, then the deep sorrow over dismissing them at the last.
Compassion for the hundreds of thousands of people we pass by in life -- that they neglect the light-giving, understanding-imparting, Face-shining statutes of the Lord -- causes a sobered heart at the least, and perhaps a flow of tears now and then.
We recommend the food at a delightful restaurant to our friends. We'll share a helpful app on our smartphones with our colleagues. We rarely hesitate to pass along a good idea or a helpful service to those in need around us.
Why not joyfully share with someone today...or at least soon...the wonderful testimonies of the gracious Lord himself?
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