On The Journey--Qoph!

I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O LORD!
I will keep Your statutes.
I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.
They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
You are near, O LORD,
And all Your commandments are truth.
Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them forever. Psalm 119:145-152 NKJV

 The 19th letter and stanza--total reliance and trust expressed.

Crying out to God with our whole hearts--expecting Him to hear us and save us from whatever dilemma rises in our lives--should be our stance.

The writer expresses his reliance upon God by acknowledging it is in Him that salvation is possible, that his cries will be heard and that his hope is in Him. While waiting to see God's response, he meditates upon His Word; he awakens in the middle of the night, meditating upon His Word; and when he rises in the morning, his heart is still focused on God's Word.

Do we have that kind of hope, reliance and trust in God and in knowing His Word? I would venture to say that the more we know His Word, the greater our reliance becomes upon Him. For when we know God's Word, we know that it is only because of Him that we can keep going. The more we know--the greater the realization becomes that within ourselves, we have no might and can do nothing, apart from Him.

Perhaps this is why those who don't believe Him, think they can accomplish anything in their own wisdom, knowledge and might. They are mistaken. They ridicule us when we pray, calling our God--the invisible spaghetti monster and prayer a waste of time. But when the going gets really tough, and they cry out, "O God!" which of their gods do they expect to intercede on their behalf?

Just as the writer expresses, we know that God is always near because we are told in His Word that He will never leave us or forsake us. When we call upon Him, He hears us. When we obey His Word, He responds to us. Our faith--total reliance and trust in Him--keeps us focused on His Word and mindful that we have nothing to fear because our God is always near!

We know--from the beginning when God established His statutes that they were intended to be a light in the darkness for all times--guiding us as we navigate life. But His Word can only be a light in our lives when we have understood His purposes for our lives.

Though some think that because they can memorize and quote God's Word they have accomplished something, if there is no understanding--no comprehension, what have they really accomplished? The enemy knows the Word and knows how to distort it to deceive others. We know because he used The Word to tempt The Word and he failed miserably because Truth will always break the shackles that bind the mind.