But Many Who Are First Will Be Last, And the Last First...

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.—Matthew 19:30

Thinking on this verse today and asking Father, that You place the desire to be “last” here on earth firmly on my heart....the desire that does all only for Your glory and shuns worldly glory.  Protect me, Lord, from my own wrong desires.  Keep pride from gaining a foothold...I don’t want to miss out on anything You have for me. I want only the comfort that comes from being in Your Presence as I journey through this vale of tears. Praying to have the attitude of Jesus in Philippians...

Therefore if there is any (BECAUSE THERE IS) consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,—Phil 2:1-9

But God is the Judge:

He puts down one,

And exalts another.—Ps 75:7

The LORD makes poor and makes rich;

He brings low and lifts up.—1 Samuel 2:7

But Your Servant Meditates on Your Statues...

20 My soul breaks with longing

For Your judgments at all times.

21 You rebuke the proud--the cursed,

Who stray from Your commandments.

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt,

For I have kept Your testimonies.

23 Princes also sit and speak against me

But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

24 Your testimonies also are my delight

And my counselors.—Psalm 119:20-24

Father...

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.  Give me right longings...right spiritual desires.  Help me to learn obedience through my trials and to desire You more than any other thing. Make my heart a fount of living water to bless those around me.  You dwell in my heart and are my hope of glory.  There is no peace for the wicked who willfully go their own way and turn from Your law.  Their way is dark and slippery and their end is destruction.  

Remove from me reproach and contempt for I have kept Your testimonies.  There are many that speak against me wrongfully.  They slander me and desire me to fall.  But I am Your beloved.  I will spend my time with You.  I will meditate on Your statutes for they are my delight and my counselors.  In my distress and dismay, I will cry out to You, my God.  You will hear my prayer.  You will not forsake those who seek You. Father...You are my Helper...my defense is of You. 

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.—Psalm 139:17-18

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;

Let such as love Your salvation say continually,

“The LORD be magnified!”

But I am poor and needy;

Yet the LORD thinks upon me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

Do not delay, O my God.—Psalm 40: 16-17

He Has Shown You, O Man, What is Good...

32 “Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

33 ‘Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’

34 “And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”—Matthew 18:32-35

Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.—Lamentations 3:22-23

Our God shows us mercy...He IS a merciful God and He commands us to go and do likewise. The Bible tells us that His mercy is boundless, eternal, prolongs life, encourages penitence, forgives sin, and makes salvation possible.  On the cross mercy and truth met together...righteousness and peace kissed.  What is mercy?  Mercy is a form of love especially directed toward the needy and unworthy.  When we as human beings show mercy we exhibit a divine quality.  So much good comes to us as we obey God’s precepts.  The opposite is also true.

The merciful man does good for his own soul,

But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.—Proverbs 11:17

The Holy Spirit speaking through James, Jesus’ brother, tells us that judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy, James tells us, triumphs over judgment.  

Praying today for His merciful kindness to be displayed in each of our lives.  That our gentleness be made known to all men because the Lord is near.  Convict us, Father!  May Your gracious Spirit who lives in us, enable us to forgive others from our heart. That we would bear with one another, and forgive one another, even as Christ has forgiven us...so we also must do. Help us to live our lives with the awareness that Jesus is our constant witness...that every moment we are in the very real Presence of Christ.  

Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall obtain mercy.—Matthew 5:7

Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.—Luke 6:36

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.—James 2:13

So you, by the help of your God, return;

Observe mercy and justice,

And wait on your God continually.—Hosea 12:6

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the LORD require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?—Micah 6:

You Have Answered Me...Thoughts on Psalm 22

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

Why are You so far from helping Me,

And from the words of My groaning?

2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;

And in the night season, and am not silent.

3 But You are holy,

Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

4 Our fathers trusted in You;

They trusted, and You delivered them.

5 They cried to You, and were delivered;

They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

But You are holy,

Enthroned in the praises of Israel.—Psalm 22:3

You are NOT unjust, untrue or unkind in any of Your ways...You are holy. You may not come to my aid right away, but You always love me and keep Your promises.  You are a refuge for me. You inhabit my praise and are pleased to show me Your glory, Your grace and Your special presence when I walk undefiled in the way.  Oh Father!  By Your Spirit enable me to walk uprightly before You. Fill my heart and mouth with Your praise.  Be enthroned in my praise!  As I hope in You, in due time, You will grant me according to my hearts desires and fulfill my purpose.  

I will hope in God, for I shall yet praise him.  

Here is the rest of Psalm 22:

But I am a worm, and no man;

A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

7 All those who see Me ridicule Me;

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

8 “He trustedfn in the LORD, let Him rescue Him;

Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb;

You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

10 I was cast upon You from birth.

From My mother’s womb

You have been My God.

11 Be not far from Me,

For trouble is near;

For there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

13 They gape at Me with their mouths,

Like a raging and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water,

And all My bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax;

It has melted within Me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And My tongue clings to My jaws;

You have brought Me to the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded Me;

The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.

They piercedfn My hands and My feet;

17 I can count all My bones.

They look and stare at Me.

18 They divide My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots.

19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me;

O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

20 Deliver Me from the sword,

My precious life from the power of the dog.

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth

And from the horns of the wild oxen!

You have answered Me.

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren;

In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him!

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,

And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Nor has He hidden His face from Him;

But when He cried to Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;

I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.

26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;

Those who seek Him will praise the LORD.

Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the world

Shall remember and turn to the LORD,

And all the families of the nations

Shall worship before You.

28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s,

And He rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth

Shall eat and worship;

All those who go down to the dust

Shall bow before Him,

Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

30 A posterity shall serve Him.

It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,

31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,

That He has done this.

“You have answered Me.” 

Are these not some of the most beautiful words in Scripture?  God heard Jesus’ prayer and, as believers, He will hear ours!  He has not left us without an example nor does He ask us to do anything that His Son has not already faced.  He has also shown us the outcome of our trust.  He will hear and answer our cries.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  Jesus faced God’s wrath of abandonment for our sins, in our stead.  Even when God does not deliver me from a trial, I still have His wonderful sustaining grace that brings me His great peace and comfort as I walk with Him through it.  

who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,

though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,—Hebrews 5:7-9

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 

“Who committed no sin,

Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.—1 Peter 2:21-24

Praying that in all things, like Jesus, I commit myself to my Father in Heaven who judges righteously. 

I AM WHO I AM...Exodus 3

Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’—Exodus 3:13-15

“I AM WHO I AM.” - there is no equivalent for God but God.  If you placed God in front of an equal sign there is nothing to put there but himself. 

‘I AM - God simply is...there is never a time when He wasn’t or a time that He will cease to exist.  He is also completely independent.  He relies on nothing to exist. He needs nobody. He has life within Himself. 

“Also inherent in the idea behind the name I Am is the sense that God is “the becoming one”; God becomes whatever is lacking in our time of need. The name I Am invites us to fill in the blank to meet our need – when we are in darkness, Jesus says I am the light; when we are hungry, He says I am the bread of life, when we are defenseless, He says I am the Good Shepherd. God is the becoming one, becoming what we need.”

In this, God’s name is both an announcement and an introduction. It announces God’s presence, and invites any interested to know Him by experience, to taste and see that the Lord is good.”—Guzik 

The Becoming One...lives in me!  ❤️❤️. 

Soul Crushing Longing for God’s Word...

My soul breaks with longing

For Your judgments at all times.

—Ps 119:20

I say with the prophet Isaiah:

With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth,

The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Lord...I know what it is like to feel soul crushing longing.  What a blessing it would be to feel this kind of crushing desire for Your word.  Set my mind on those things that are above...on the eternal. Fill me..heart and soul...with Your word.  Blessed is the man whose delight is in Your law! 

Spurgeon says it so perfectly:

“David had such reverence for the word, and such a desire to know it, and to be conformed to it, that his longings caused him a sort of heart break, which he here pleads before God. Longing is the soul of praying, and when the soul longs till it breaks, it cannot be long before the blessing will be granted. The most intimate communion between the soul and its God is carried on by the process described in the text. God reveals his will, and our heart longs to be conformed thereto. God judges, and our heart rejoices in the verdict. This is fellowship of heart most real and thorough.”

Ending with a portion of Psalm 19...

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;

The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold;

Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.—Ps 19:7-11, 14

Deal Bountifully With Your Servant...

GIMEL

Deal bountifully with Your servant,

That I may live and keep Your word.

18 Open my eyes, that I may see

Wondrous things from Your law.

19 I am a stranger in the earth;

Do not hide Your commandments from me.—Psalm 119:17-19

This section of Psalm 119 didn’t really hit my heart until I began to memorize and repeat it.  It became clear to me as I meditated through verses 17-24 that the Psalmist has or is facing much persecution and suffering.  How does he deal in the midst of it...by prayer and abiding in the word.  The Scriptures are David’s “go to”, his hiding place and his treasure. The more time he spends immersed in them, the more he desires them.  I love David’s prayer in verse 17.  He prays for spiritual abundance that he may live and obey His God.  He wants God’s grace and power to abound toward him NOT for his own comfort but so He would have sufficiency in all things...an abundance for every trial and every good work so that the word of His God would be lived and kept.  I want that!  Jesus says this in John 14:23. 

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ❤️

Thank you, Father, that Your comforting Spirit is with me and dwells in me.  In verse 18 David prays for spiritual eyes to see wondrous things in God’s law. The Spirit of God  not only dwells with us, but also guides us into all truth.  Oh Father....open my eyes that I, too, may see wondrous things from Your law!   I am a stranger on the earth.  I long for home and as I do Your word to me becomes more and more precious.   Thank you that Your Presence fills it.  It is in You, my God, that I live and move and have my being. I am alone in a strange world that doesn’t speak my language, but You have not and will not reject me or abandon me.  You have given me Your Spirit. Thank you that my heart is Your home. Your statutes are my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. 

Open my Eyes, that I May See Wondrous Things from Your Word!

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,

Who seek Him with the whole heart!—Psalm 119:2

Open my eyes, that I may see

Wondrous things from Your law.—Psalm 119:18

As I read through the Scriptures this morning both the Proverb (3:21-26 )and the Psalm (15:1-5) selection reminded me that our God is merciful.  He reminds us throughout the entirety of the Bible that His word is where wisdom, understanding and the fear of Him are found.  I am so grateful for His reminders to depend on Him, the all-sufficient One, in my own inadequacy and insufficiency.  This year as I slowly memorize and meditate through Psalm 119, I have been continually amazed at its unifying truth in relation to the rest of the Bible. In fact, I see the message of Psalm 119 (glorifying God and His word) all over the tapestry of Scripture.  God tells us in countless ways that immersing ourselves in the truth of His word brings us into His Presence and in so doing brings grace, faith, peace, blessedness, cleansing, wisdom and a steadfast peace to our heart that cannot be obtained anywhere else.  Thank you, Father, for Your word!  I am once again encouraged to abide...choosing as Mary, the sister of Martha, did...the better part, the part that cannot be taken away from me.  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

My son, let them not depart from your eyes—Keep sound wisdom and discretion; So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught.—Proverbs 3:21-26

LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.—Psalm 15:1-5

The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do [His commandments.] His praise endures forever.—Psalm 111:10

The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge, [But] fools despise wisdom and instruction.—Proverbs 1:7

Shepherd of my Soul, I Give You Full Control...Psalm 119:15-16

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”—Matt 11:28-30

Oh Father!  Help me today to come to You...not to me...not to distractions. To settle my mind and my heart and surrender to You and Your Plan. To really see me and know I need You!  Thank you that you are gentle and lowly.  Thank You that in You I can rest.  Your rule is easy and Your burden light. 

I will meditate on Your precepts,

And contemplate Your ways.

I will delight myself in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.—Psalm 119:15-16

Oh. Father!  Make this the desire of my own heart...to meditate, contemplate, delight and not forget Your word.  I want Your word to fill my heart and my life. This IS my desire,but it is the one that I have the most trouble doing consistently.  It is so hard for me to settle my mind to REMEMBER and then PURPOSE to think about Your word instead of the bazillion other things my mind gravitates toward.  Sometimes it feels like I am trying to reign in wild horses!  I liked what Boice said about meditation.  

"Meditation is recalling what we have committed to memory and then turning it over and over in our minds to see the fullest implications and applications of the truth." (Boice)

Lord...I will set aside time each day devoted to memorization and meditation.  I want Your word to be mine.  I have done this in the past and the results were  wonderful...even supernatural.  I could almost feel the “eureka” like explosions of understanding occurring in my synapses.  I think it scared me...like I was headed for something from which there was no return. Perhaps it brought me a piece of heaven that made me lose my grip “control” on the earth.  In reality I have no control here in the earthly realm.  Shepherd of my soul I give You full control. 

Praying God’s Promises..Genesis 32 and Psalm 119:15-16

Jacob praying Gods promises...

Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. 12 For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”—Genesis 32:9-12

Jacob prays for deliverance by rehearsing God’s own commands and His covenant promises to him.  He begins by confessing his unworthiness of the least of all Gods mercies and acknowledging his fears. I love that Jacob prays God’s own words to back to Him in his prayer. He knows he is unworthy of any mercy and places all his confidence instead in God’s promises to him. I have been studying Psalm 119 of late and reading Jacob’s prayer this morning has encouraged me even more to meditate and hide God’s word in my heart as David did.  I want my prayers to overflow with the abundance of His word...I want them to be less about me and more about God who alone is worthy of my trust. 

In Chapter 31 Jacob stood up bravely to Laban’s small army that came after him.  Here, however, facing his brother Esau, he crumples and divides God’s camp—Manaheim—into the two camps of Jacob.  Why...what is the difference?  Maybe because Jacob knew he was in the right as far as Laban was concerned and in the wrong with Esau. Our guilty consciences and baggage from our past can get in the way of our walking with God in faith as opposed to fear.  We are His. We are forgiven...past, present and future.  Again, Psalm 119 comes to mind.  Father...may I walk undefiled in the way!  Give me the courage to trust You despite the guilt I might feel in regard to my past. Help me to walk forgiven knowing that I can come boldly to Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in my time of need.  

I will meditate on Your precepts,

And contemplate Your ways.

I will delight myself in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.—Psalm 119:15-16

Rejoicing in the Way of Your Testimonies...

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.— Psalm 119:14

Father...I am so thankful for your testimonies!  Truly my heart fills with joy when I pick up your word each morning and read...I have You...the all sufficient Becoming One who never leaves me and never forsakes me.  The One who directs my path, perfects that which concerns me, performs all things for me  and to whom I come to find rest, is MINE!  Truly, I rejoice at Your word, as one that finds great spoil.   I feel like Jeremiah when he says this in chapter 15:

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

Your way also is in Your word and my delight is in both!  There are many things that I could live without in this life, but Your word, Father, is not one of them.  Too many go through this life without ever reading Your word or read it sporadically without understanding.  Use my love of the gift of Your word to change that. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by Your word.  Speak Your word through me to others during the course of each of my days.  May they know its praise and its power by coming to know its Author.  

The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether. More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.—Psalm 19:9-10

47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved. 72 The law of thy mouth [is] better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. 77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law [is] my delight. 111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they [are] the rejoicing of my heart. 127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. 162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.—Psalm 119: 47,72,77,111,127,162

With My Lips...Psalm 119:13

With my lips I have declared

All the judgments of Your mouth.—Ps 119:13

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:7, ESV)

Father...may Your word not only be on my heart, but may it be also on my lips. May my conversations with others ALWAYS point to You. When I bring You into my personal interactions with others, I bring You glory, edify those around me and encourage my own heart.  I want my mind, my heart and my lips to be occupied speaking forth Your judgments and Your praise. I want my prayers to be pleading Your promises. I want my delight to be in Your word. 

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper [in the thing] for which I sent it.—Isaiah 55:11 

Use me, Father, to prosper it and accomplish Your good pleasure...

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.—Hebrews 4:12

Teach Me Your Statutes..Psalm 119:12

BETH

How can a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed according to Your word.

10 With my whole heart I have sought You;

Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

12 Blessed are You, O LORD!

Teach me Your statutes.

13 With my lips I have declared

All the judgments of Your mouth.

14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on Your precepts,

And contemplate Your ways.

16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

The first set of verses (1-8) in Psalm 119 are all about the Blessedness of Obeying the Word.  This second set (9-16) are about Cleansing By the Word.  The song that came to mind as I read them is Holiness by Scott Underwood.  

Holiness, holiness is what I long for

Holiness is what I need

Holiness, holiness is what You

want from me

So, take my heart and form it

Take my mind and transform it

Take my will and conform it

To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord

Focusing this morning on verse 12...

Oh, Father!  You are deserving of all my praise!   I have seen that all human perfection has its limits no matter how grand and perfect and noble...Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits into eternity.  You have magnified it above Your name. You are my blessed God forever and ever...Your word has given me life!  Make me holy!  I want to share in Your blessedness and be blessed in You!  Instruct me in Your magnificent word...Let Your word be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Open my eyes that I might see the wondrous things that are in it!  I want You to be my teacher!  The entrance of Your word gives light and gives understanding to the simple.  Look upon me and be merciful to me.   Direct my steps by Your word and let no iniquity have dominion over me!  Make Your face shine upon Your servant and teach me Your statutes. Make Your testimonies my meditation.  Place them in the innermost part of my soul so that I may not sin against You. 

I want to bring glory to Your name!  Your love constrains me! You have by Your promises to me given me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness so that I would be called a tree of righteousness...strong and magnificent...distinguished for integrity, justice and right standing before You.  I am Your planting and my purpose is to glorify Your name. Teach me Your statutes...make me holy.