A Word from the Word

Time to Consider

 

Psalm 119:59–60

I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.     NIV

It’s important that from time to time in the midst of life we pause and consider our ways. Many times the prophets of old challenged God’s people to consider their ways and we need to do the same. We need to ask ourselves from time to time: What am I doing? How am I getting on? Am I being successful? Am I finding true satisfaction or am I doing a whole lot of things that don’t really amount to very much, that don’t bring me true satisfaction? Am I perhaps being frustrated and disappointed again and again?

When we consider our ways, it may lead us to do what it led the psalmist to do. He said, “I have considered my ways, and have turned my steps to your statutes.” He realized that his way was not God’s way, that his way was doing him no good, so he decided that he would turn from his way to God’s ways. He turned his steps to God’s statutes. He said, “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.”

Sometimes when we pause to consider our ways, it leads us to see how foolish and unwise we are and it gives us an urgent desire to turn from our way to God’s way. We need to say, “I will hasten and obey Your commands. I will turn my steps to Your statutes.”