“Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.
Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart–
they do no wrong
but follow his ways.” Psalm 119:1-3
Blessed means that God has bestows His inheritance, all the love and resources He has, upon His children in great love. It doesn’t mean “happy” in the sense that the world means “happy”. Such happiness is temporal and emotional. It is unstable and prone to change. It isn’t secure.
It doesn’t mean “looked on with favor” in the sense that such favor is here today and gone tomorrow.
Blessed means that the Father of all sees you for who you are and loves you with an everlasting love, because of His Son Jesus Christ. You are His child; His heir of all good.
The condition of such blessing is a heart that is inclined (leaned toward) obedience. We are mortals. We fail. We long to obey, but we miss the mark. We flag and grow weary and tired (Isaiah 40:31). How can we gain the Lord’s blessing then?
We lean in! We lean toward God, seek Him out so that we can obey. Walking is a forward movement. By faith, we keep putting one step in front of the other as a toddler seeks his parent knowing that the parent has His loving arms at the ready, always present in case we fall, to raise us up again in renewed strength.
We walk a path that has already been marked out in God’s Word, and walked out for us in the Incarnation of Christ. Our Father has not left us ignorant. We can read and know God’s heart for us. We have God’s Son to bridge the gap between us and the Father that otherwise halts our way. And we have the Holy Spirit guiding us and whispering in our ear which way to go, cheering us on with love words as well as fire words to keep us motivated.
It is this seeking God with the whole heart that draws the Father’s heart to bless us. I can’t seek God until I ask God to help me seek Him. And He has promised He will (Jeremiah 29:11-14).*
Yes, I do wrong, but the sense here is that I am “made right” with the righteousness of Jesus Christ on me and not my own righteousness. I follow Him blamelessly not on my own account but because Christ has taken away any blame. I am acquitted, I am honored by His outpouring of blessing, and I am no longer in fear from the evil that surrounds me. This is a good word.
Father, thank you for drawing my spirit to look for you. Thank you that you revealed yourself to me in your Word, through Jesus Christ your Son, through your Church, and with your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your blessing on my life that I can live in peace and not fear. My soul is secure. Stay with me as I look to Your Ways to obey all that You have commanded and give me strength. Father, open the eyes of those reading this who don’t know you yet; reveal Yourself to them by the power of Your Word and draw them to Your salvation and true worship, that they can also be blessed and join as heirs to Your Kingdom. In the Name of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Fill in the blanks:
__________ are those whose ________ are __________,
who _________ according to the _______ of the _______.
__________ are those who ________ his ___________
and _________ him with _________ their ________--
they do no ____________
but ____________ his ways.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered by Biblica, Inc.®F
Footnote on Jeremiah 29:11-14: We are all exiles and refugees. While this passage speaks to the Babylonian captives of Judah, God’s Word is for all of us coming out of bondage to sin. God fulfilled His promise then, and in later Christ for us all. He continues to fulfill His promise to you today.
FURTHER RESOURCES
“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by Chris Rice, uploaded by Chris Rice, July 29, 2014. [YouTube; 3:45 min.]. (static video)
Come thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy praise,
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise!
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the Mount, I'm fixed upon it–
Mount of Thy redeeming Love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer ("stone of help"; 1 Samuel 7:12)
Here by thy great help I've come
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood!
Oh, that Day when, freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face!
Cloth-ed then in blood-washed linen
How I'll sing Thy sovereign Grace!
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my randsom'd soul away
Send Thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day!
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander lord I feel it!
Prone to leave the God I love!
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it!
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it!
Seal it for Thy courts above.
-- written by Robert Robinson (1735-1790);
music by John Wyeth (1770-1858).
See Hymnal.net for piano and guitar lead sheets.
Featured Header Image: “Isle of Skye Landscape, Scotland” by ReadPsalm119.com