I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me.
Psalm 119:30
If you recall, in verse 29 the psalmist prayed for God to remove the false way from him. It is important that each of us, even as Christians, realize that we can very easily begin to walk down the wrong path, especially when we are facing some of the more difficult challenges of life.
Not only does the psalmist pray that God will remove the false way from him, he also determines to follow the faithful way. This is a deliberate, determined choice that he makes. In the midst of his difficult circumstances, he does not want to go astray from God’s eternal purposes.
We can make serious commitments all day long, but more decisions are required if we are going to fulfill our commitments. When we determine to follow the faithful way, we must also consider what will it take for this to be a reality.
The psalmist knew that the only hope for him to stay on the faithful way was to place the ordinances of God before him. These ordinances are God’s gift to His children. They are the essential guide to keep us on the faithful way. If we choose to disregard the priority of God’s word in our lives, there is no possible way for us to stay on the faithful path.
The words I have placed have the idea that the psalmist put God’s ordinances before him as the authoritative rule for his life. We are not talking about a good luck charm. We are talking about a man who wanted to know and submit to the Word of God.
James M. Boice reminds us that “Nobody ever just stumbles onto the right path. If we are going to live for God by learning and obeying his Word, the Bible, we must choose to do so and apply ourselves firmly to the task.”1
The fact that we are allowed on the faithful path is quite a blessing the Lord has bestowed upon us. Not only that, He has given us all the resources that we need to remain on the faithful path. But we must be determined to use what God has so kindly made available to us.
1 Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary (p. 988). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
