I love the Psalms. I love how they form prayers, how they teach me to pray– prayers from the heart of the Word that I can connect with, agree with, and pray from my own heart.

This morning I came to this passage in Psalm 119:129-133,

“Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.”

This passage reminds me of the way the Lord reveals things in our hearts that need to be addressed. He is always so merciful to show us these things.

He so lovingly makes us aware of these things in our hearts….

He so lovingly reminds us and shows us when we’re beginning to get “out of focus” and He shows us how to “sharpen that focus” on Jesus again. He’ll do it quick too, if we listen…He’ll do it every single day, if we’ll meet Him in that place.

With Him, we can venture further into “that thing” that He shows us and simply do what needs to be done — repent and sharpen our focus back on Him ….or we can just tune it all out, attempting to pretend that it’s not really there. That might seem like the safer thing, but it’s a lie.

But His statutes are wonderful… and the unfolding of His words gives light and understanding to the simple.

I am so thankful for that. What a relief, that He would have mercy on me, that He would direct my footsteps according to His Word, that no sin would rule over me, over my heart, over my life…

What a relief to know that He will help us, that He will give us the opportunity to tear things down in our hearts that shouldn’t be there –wrong attitudes, lies we’ve believed and agreed with, idols that have been set up in our hearts –even things that are “good things” can turn into “idols”….. that’s part of how they can be so dangerous.

When I think of the word “idol” and then I think of the word “idolize” for some reason, to me the word “idolize” seems so much less of a big deal than an “idol,” which makes me think of some kind of golden pagan god that a person would set up in a high place and worship. When I think of the word “idolize” I think of just a “normal, human thing, not a big deal — could be a little dangerous, but not a huge concern…”

Now… why is that? They both mean the same thing. ?Perhaps the good things, the people, the whatever we “idolize” in our lives could be even more dangerous and deadly…

Anything that I set up in my heart, and then turn my heart toward that thing in a big way, and then I begin “idolize” that thing/person/situation/idea/anything in my heart –to God, that is the same thing as me worshipping a literal golden idol because it has been set in this place of being “bigger than” or “more than” my admiration and love for Him. I have set that “thing” higher up than God in my heart without even realizing it… ?

…But how merciful is God to lead us into truth…. ?What a relief!

How faithful He is to lead us in the way everlasting. How faithful He is to show us what we need to realize, and then He leads us into repentance as we tear down the idols that– maybe we haven’t even realized were sitting there in our hearts.

How faithful He is to… “direct my footsteps according to His word, that no sin would be able to rule over my life.”

I’m so thankful for the way He shows me these things so that I can quickly take care of them. He knows that there are things that can be built up in the dark, these sort of “webs”…. and all of a sudden, they’re there and we didn’t even know it until we get ourselves caught in that web. Running right into it….

But He is merciful, and He loves us enough to direct us according to His Word.

Do you know what “mercy” means?

“bringing someone relief from something unpleasant.”

?

Thank You, Lord. Thank You for showing me Your ways, that I might walk in them and be free of iniquity. You so lovingly show me how to be free, how the problem is fixed. Help me to have eyes to see and ears to hear when You are leading me into the freedom of Your truth revealed to my heart.

-Heather ?