Blessed are You, O Lord; teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:12
Our perspective of God will certainly impact our response to God! When the psalmist says, “Blessed are You, O Lord,” he is acknowledging that God is excellent and worthy of praise and adoration. He also understands that our God is “Yahweh,” the covenant keeping God. These fundamental truths lead the psalmist to an appropriate response to God.
Far too many people who profess a faith in Christ do not seem to understand that Christianity is a relationship. We have been reconciled by Christ so that we can have a relationship with the living God. Biblical Christianity is not living in obedience to a system of requirements, it is living a life that honors the One we love with a supreme love.
Our love for God will only grow as we increase in our knowledge of Him. The better we know Him, the better we will know ourselves. This will result in a proper response to Him.
The psalmist’s request of God is “teach me Your statutes.” This simple request demonstrates a heart of humility and an utter dependence on God. Having the Word of God is not all that we need. We are so impacted by sin that we desperately need God to teach us the truth of His Word.
As Christians we should never be satisfied with what we know about God. It should be our desire to get to know Him better and better each day of our lives. As we increase in our knowledge of Him, we will learn to respond appropriately to Him. One of our responses will be to praise and adore Him. Another response will be a sincere desire to spend time in God’s word, always acknowledging our need for God to instruct us.
“Who would not wish to enter the school of such a Master to learn of him the art of holy living?”[mfn] Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 160). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.[/mfn]
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