Psalm 119: 169 - 176 (NLT)



“O Lord, listen to my cry; give me the discerning mind you promised. Listen to my prayer; rescue me as you promised. Let praise flow from my lips, for you have taught me your decrees. Let my tongue sing about your word, for all your commands are right. Give me a helping hand, for I have chosen to follow your commandments. O Lord, I have longed for your rescue, and your instructions are my delight. Let me live so I can praise you, and may your regulations help me. I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.”

Middle school is tough on millions of children. It was for me.

During my time between 6th-8th grade I was bullied a lot. I tried to have friends. There were people I thought I was close to but looking back on it that was not the case.

I was also in Boy Scouts and was picked on there, too. I had my core group of buddies but it wasn’t the same as true community.

I found a group of friends in high school, but it wasn’t until the end of college (about 10 years after middle school) that I really found community.

Me and my 3 best friends lived together senior year in “The Parthenon,” aka a one story modest house in Central Oklahoma.

There are three things that were true about us then and now and that the Psalmist talks about in this last passage of Psalm 119.

Intentionally Seek and Praise God

V. 175: Let me live so I can praise you, and may your regulations help me.

As you’ve learned, we must own and be intentional about our relationship with God. We must seek Him to know Him.

But we must also be intentional about praise.

Have you ever received a compliment from a friend or family member that was lazily said? They didn’t even look up or acknowledge you, yet said something nice in a flat tone. It doesn’t feel good, genuine.

We must give God intentional praise all of our days.

Honor God in All Things

V. 171-172: Let praise flow from my lips, for you have taught me your decrees.

Let my tongue sing about your word, for all your commands are right.

If we don’t honor God then there is no point to any of this. Honoring God looks different to each of us.

To some, honoring God is working hard as a dentist or a teacher.

To others, honoring God may be saying nothing even though you really want to.

For me, honoring God is writing. Use your gifts to honor God. Replace some words in verses 171-172 and make that your prayer.

For me this looks like:

“Let my writing flow from my pen, for you have given me this passion. Let me words honor you, for you are worthy of it.”

Ask God to Bring Us Into Community

V. 176: I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands.

A shepherd doesn’t seek and find a lost sheep to bring it to an isolated stall. They bring it back to the flock. When I read verse 176 I think the Psalmist knows this. He knows only God can bring him back into:

• God’s presence
• Right community with others

We all have seasons where we feel like we might have wandered from our convictions.

We may feel like God’s forgotten us. But take heart!

Reach out to God.

He will bring you back into his heard with other sheep like you.