The "Secret" to Less Drama, More Peace

Originally published on 08/23/2024

David asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” in Ps. 119:9. Psalm 119 is an amazing psalm. In all but just a few of its 176 verses you will find some mention of the word of God—statutes, decrees, word, etc. The verse I mentioned above is one I had memorized many years ago in the NIV. The answer to the question is: “by living according to your word.”

However, this morning, I was reading it in the ESV, and it says something different. The young man keeps his way pure, “by guarding it, according to your word.” I went to check the Hebrew, and sure enough, the verb is not living, but לשמור (lishmor), to guard.

Living, according to God’s word is important, but the ESV translation is getting at something deeper. Guarding is a much more proactive verb. When you guard something, you are aware there is an enemy. Possibly a thief. Yeshua speaks about the enemy being a thief in John 10:10. The enemy constantly seeks to steal our spiritual benefits, and he does that by luring us away from God’s word and filling our minds with lies. Yeshua called him the father of lies and compared lying for Satan to speaking one’s native tongue (John 8:44). If we are going to live pure, we must guard against Satan’s lies.

When I was a young husband and father, equipped with a two-year degree from a Bible school, and no other skill, I took a job selling cell phones. This was in the beginning when they were very expensive and very big. If I sold, I got paid. If I didn’t, I didn’t. I began to believe that I would not be able to provide for my family. The more I meditated on this lie, the more I entered into depression. Once I allowed Satan’s claws into my mind, I could not think of anything else.

I wasn’t able to recognize that Satan was lying to me and start to pursue God until I experienced a breakthrough. I learned from that lesson never to let the enemy’s lies to get into my soul. And we do that through: recognizing his lies and rejecting them. But also by building up ourselves in the word of God. And that brings us back to Psalm 119.

The massive Psalm is broken up into 22 sections. The verse I quoted above is the first verse in the second section. And if we read the following seven verses, he gives us the keys to learning how to guard our way so that our way is pure.

With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!

We seek God. We make him our main concern daily.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

We make God’s word a priority in our lives. We memorize it and meditate on it.

Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!

We ask the Holy Spirit to lead us and teach us.

With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.

We speak out God’s word. We declare it out loud.

In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.

We recognize that God’s word is truly greater than riches, fame or immorality.

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.

And every decision we make, we fix our eyes on the word of God for wisdom.

I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

We recognize that we are to delight in the word of God no matter how we feel on any particular day. Moses reflected this in the words that are repeated every day in synagogues all over the world.

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deut 6:6–9).