Monday 19 September 2016

Psalm 119:31-32 : « I cleave unto thy testimonies: O Jehovah, put me not to shame. I will run the way of thy commandments, When thou shalt enlarge my heart. »

The word in Hebrew translated here as « to cleave » literally means to close a hatch, or to fasten a latch. It is stronger than just the impression to hold on to something. Rather it means to fasten one’s self to God’s word. Then the psalmist cries out « Oh God of covenant, don’t put me to shame. »

God never purposefully will put us to shame. The word here literally means to become pale. By implication it means to be disappointed, to be delayed or to be confounded. This is never God’s first purpose in our lives. He desires to always reveal to us His will before it happens. The problem often is that we are not in a place to understand His will if He were to reveal it to us. The more we grow in Him and the more heavenly wisdom we acquire the better we understand His will and His ways.

So, the song writer continues by saying that he will run the course of God’s word, and THEN God will enlarge his heart. The Hebrew word translated here as « enlarge » means: to broaden, to make room, to open wide.

Often times our lives resemble a cup. We pray for God to pour out more and more blessings into our cup; but then the blessings fill up and spill over, wasting much of what God has poured out. We are in a season when God wants to enlarge the size of our cup. But to do that He might have to break certains things: habits, patterns of thinking, traditions, personal comfort zones.

To run the course of God’s word means that as we grow in our understanding of God’s word He takes us from one challenge to another challenge. The only thing that can stop growth from happening is that decide within ourselves to not grow any longer.

Have you made such a decision? Has life become so complicated and so difficult that you decided to no longer grow? God will never place a limit on how much you can grow. You are the one who decides that.

Decide today that whatever the price is, you will continue to press ahead in God and with His grace, into greater levels of faith and obedience. Decide today to run the course of God’s word; then He will enlarge your heart; He will broaden your life; He will make more room for His presence; and He will open wide the sphere of your influence.