Psalm 119 - 8 - Heth - Competing Influences

"(Heth) LORD, You are mine!
I promise to obey Your words!
With all my heart I want Your blessings.
Be merciful as You promised.
I pondered the direction of my life,
and I turned to follow Your laws.
I will hurry, without delay,
to obey Your commands.
Evil people drag me into sin,
but I am firmly anchored to Your instructions.
I rise at midnight to thank You
for Your just regulations.
I am a friend to anyone who fears You--
anyone who obeys Your commandments.
O LORD, Your unfailing love fills the earth;
teach me Your decrees." 
(Psalm 119: 57-64)  

Dear friend,

Notes from "Heth": We will have to choose which influences we will follow.

• The author has made a conscious choice: "I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow Your laws". 
• He vows to obey "without delay"--knowing what is right does not mean that we will naturally do what is right. Often, delaying causes us to waver in our conviction. By obeying "without delay," we do not give ourselves room to compromise what we know is right. 
• He knows the influential power of "evil people," and he has found a solution. They may try to drag him, but he is anchored: he will not be moved!
• He chooses friends who are like minded and like hearted; as far as it is up to him, he will surround himself with people who help him draw nearer to God.
• The author worships God for His "unfailing love" that "fills the earth". Knowing that he is loved by God is motivation for wanting to know His decrees and obey them. 

     As a youth I often heard the phrase, "Garbage in, garbage out". In other words, what I put into me also came out of me. Obviously, this has physical/nutritional implications: junk food produces a junky body; health food produces a healthy body. More important is the concept as it applies to our inner being. What we see, think, read, do, has an impact on us. Our friends, family, classmates, teachers (etc.) have an impact on us. Some we cannot avoid. But we can strengthen ourselves by making the best choices when we have the option.

• Who are the most influential people in your life? 
• In what ways do they influence you?
• In what circumstances do you not have a choice in your surroundings/influences?
• What can you do in these situations?
• How can you be sure that you are  "firmly anchored"?

Heavenly Father, We live in a world with tremendously powerful influences, and we see how easily we can be swayed from You. Will You help us to be "firmly anchored" in You? Will You surround us with Godly influences? Will You enable us to discern truth from error? We want to know, love and serve You as the Psalmist did.

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." (Proverbs 4:23)


"Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:16-20)