Thursday, April 3

Praying About Faithful Following of Commands

Thursday, April 3

Psalm 119:35-36

This text/prayer appears in the Catechism supporting the 10^th Commandment. “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.” KJV

I often call the 9^th and 10^th Commandments, which prohibit coveting, God’s “exclamation points.”

Coveting anything and anyone is the wide topic of these two commandments. We all covet. We are often unhappy with our circumstances, the people in our life, business, family, school, and the sub-par things we have to support this life: car, home, job.  In these two commandments, God highlights His expectations that even our heart be pure and cleaned out of any coveting!   That is a lot to ask…I mean “command”!

I rarely pray about coveting: any portion of it – my occasional lack of contentment, finding “delight” in what I have, rather than simple acceptance of what I have. Now there is a nuance I rarely consider.   Coveting just receives little of my prayer time or focus.

What David is praying for is delight in God’s Word. He frames his prayer asking God to “make me go….” David knows his weakness.  David knows that if he prays for God to “make” him delight in God’s testimonies, God would set up circumstances in a way that would reduce temptations and discontent.

Lord, just eliminate the clutter and let me be limited to simply listening to Your word…and finding delight in it!

In verse 35, David uses the word “incline” – which means “stretch out.” The first time it is used in Scripture, Jacob has moved to Schechem, purchased some land, and pitched a tent there. (Gn. 33:19) Earlier, he had built a house across the Jordan River. But Jacob chose to stretch out a tent, rather than live in the home he had built. No clutter in that, just the needs of everyday life.

Jesus mentioned that the Son of Man had no home, but the birds had nests. Yet Christ found contentment without a home, without a wife and children, and in the temporary dwelling of earth. He tabernacled (“tented”) with us, and He found joy in fellowship and love and service. His focus was on the Living Word, and in it He delighted.

He was able not to covet because “the Lord had been His dwelling place.” (Ps. 90:1) We tabernacle with God in His Word, which stretches us. He can strip away the clutter and focus our hearts on His Word and contentment. Sometimes we pray that He makes us do this because we lack the resolve.

Interestingly, the Scriptures tell us that our heart becomes God’s temple. And when we die – in faith in Christ’s contentment and atonement – we then get to tent/dwell with Him forever. That will be quite a dwelling place! No stretching, just rest in Him.