With the start of a new stanza, the psalmist shifts from focusing on those who oppose him and his commitment to the Word of God, and to learning as much as he can about that Word. Take a look for yourself at Psalm 119:33-36:

This stanza is filled with petitions, nine of them to be exact. The psalmist wants to receive God’s assistance and and strength as he strives to learn God’s Word. His first plea is for God to teach him how to follow the Word of God, and he promises to keep and follow that Word as long and as strongly as he can.

In the following verses, the psalmist identifies four ways to do this, with his mind, with his feet, with his heart, and with his eyes. We will look a the first three this week, and the fourth with the latter half of this strophe next week.

With His Mind – Verse 34

The first request is one for understanding. This is a practical request, because we can’t follow God’s laws without understanding them. Obedience comes from knowledge. You can’t really apply it to your life if you don’t have an understanding of it to begin with. Paul understood this. In Romans 12, when he begins to make the application for everything he had written, he started with the renewal of the mind:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Very often, I hear people scoff at the idea of continued education, especially in biblical matters. “We have God’s Word,” they say, “and all we have to do is read it.” While that may be a great first step, it falls short of really comprehending what God wants to communicate to us. His Word is worth studying deeply and gaining every kernel of knowledge we can from it.

With His Feet – Verse 35

The next request the psalmist makes is one regarding the path he should follow. We need the light of God’s Word to shine before us so we know how to navigate this world we live in. Unless we utilize his Word as a guide, we will waver from the way we need to go, and stray. But when we follow the path God leads us on, we will find the joy that we seek.

With His Heart – Verse 36

If we want to follow God’s Word as closely as we can, we must be intentional about it. We must long for it. We must seek it with all our heart. The psalmist knows this, and asks for God to help him pursue the right things, and not those things that gratify the self or the sinful nature. Again, the apostle Paul knew this, and described the stark contrast between desiring what we want versus desiring God’s Word and God’s Spirit active in our lives in Galatians 5:16-17, and from there, he moves into the well known list of the fruit of the spirit.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

When we desire God and his Word above all things, these prayers become the cry of our own hearts, just like they were the cry of the psalmist. My challenge to you this week is to spend some time praying over these three areas, seeking God’s involvement in these areas of your life.

Question: How fervently do you long for God’s Word in your life? What can you do to increase your longing for it? You can leave a comment by clicking here.