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"I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your Name. Keep steady my steps according to Your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me." (Psalm 119:131-133 ESV)
We long for all kinds of earthly things including, perhaps, better health or a more generous income. We may long for a vacation, which would no doubt decrease our income but hopefully improve our health. We eagerly look forward to so much, but do we long for the Word of God as the psalmist does? "I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments." The psalmist thirsts for the Word of God. In other verses of Psalm 119, with its many expressions of love for God's Word, the psalmist says, "My soul is consumed with longing for Your rules at all times" (Psalm 119:20 ESV), and "My eyes long for Your promise" (Psalm 119:82a ESV). The Lord invites us to satisfy that longing by listening to Him: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live" (Isaiah 55:2-3a ESV).
What do we, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, read and hear in the Word of God that is so satisfying? The inspired Scriptures were written to instruct us, to give us encouragement and hope. The sacred writings are "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16b-17 ESV). The commands of God for which we long guide us in godly living and help us to resist the temptations of the devil. As the psalmist says, God keeps our steps steady according to the promises of His Word. We pray that we will grow in faith through the study of the Scriptures and that God will not allow sin to overpower us.
Above all, we long and thirst to hear again the good news of our salvation. Jesus said of the Scriptures that "it is they that bear witness about Me" (John 5:39b ESV). The apostle John explains the divine purpose behind his inspired words: "These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name" (John 20:31 ESV). In Holy Scripture, we hear and read the saving message of Jesus' love for us, of His death and resurrection, and of the astounding, life-giving, life-changing promise of forgiveness and life through faith in His Name. It is the good Word for which we long and pant. We cannot get enough of it, and nothing else will ever truly satisfy us.
We Pray: Lord, as I study the Scriptures, satisfy my thirst for Your life-giving promises. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on August 26, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. Is there one thing you would most like to have right now? What is it?
2. Do worldly things get in the way sometimes of what is really best for us in the sight of God?
3. How can we adjust our perspective to keep our focus on the things of God?
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