Psalm 119:33-40

Psalm 119:33-40

Finish Strong

I.                    If we’re to end well, we must train to run well; so we must train in God’s Word and run in His way (Vv. 33-37)

a.       The psalmist has just cried out to God for revival and renewal in the face of the onslaught of life’s challenges and difficulties. God has granted him this renewal through His Word, and the psalmist has resolved to run God’s way; but running God’s way continually, day after day, isn’t easy or our natural inclination. Realizing his great need and dependance on God not only for renewed life, but also to run well and finish well, the psalmist now prays to God for growth and continuance in Him to the end of life. The race we run in this life is both physical and spiritual, but the psalmist knows that the spiritual component of our race in life is what ultimately pays off. We often get highly distracted by the physical needs in life, and we should ask God for strength for the physical elements of life, and be good stewards of our physical bodies, but they will wear out and pass on. So the psalmist is asking God for spiritual strength, and that comes through spiritual enlightenment in God’s Word. He calls out to God to teach him and give him understanding of His Word. He desires a working and intimate knowledge of who God is, what God is all about, and how who God is must change our way of thinking and living. Only by being enlightened in understanding according to God’s grace will the psalmist desire to live according to God’s Word and be able to observe His commandments. The psalmist knows that his natural tendency is to seek the empty things of the world and their quick but eternally fruitless payoff. Only God’s grace can compel us to continue after Him and continually renew us in a heart desire to know Him more deeply and follow Him more obediently. Truly tasting the goodness of God and the blessing, fruit, and fulfillment of knowing Him more intimately and walking in His way, compels us to want more. There’s no joy or fulfillment in attempting to learn or follow God’s Word, or run well and finish well in life, in our strength. But when we ask God to instruct us in His way and grant us His grace and strength to walk in it, our obedience to His Word is a source of renewed life, joy, and delight. We respond as the psalmist does, and desire God to instruct our mind, heart, eyes, and feet to think, feel, see, and go in His way, in His strength, and for His glory and our good! The things of the world which seem so attractive and desirable will always prove worthless now and in the end. The desires of our hearts which seem so strong, really have no strength in them other than the power to lead us astray and leave us empty and unsatisfied. The difference between a fruitless run and finish, and running well, running the right way, and finishing well in life relies completely on loving and living according to God’s Word by His grace and strength. (Vv. 33-37; Josh. 24:14-15; 1 Kgs. 8:56-61; 18:21; Ps. 27:11; 34:4-10; 37:4-5; 40:8; 86:11; 112:1; Prov. 4:19-27; Eccl. 1:1-2:11; Isa. 40:28-31; Jer. 6:16; Matt. 6:19-33; 7:13-14; 22:37-40; Luke 12:33-40; Rom. 1:21-25; 6:17-23; 7:22-8:1; Eph. 5:1-2; Phil. 2:5-8; 3:7-16; 4:8-13; Heb. 12:1-3; Jas. 1:5-8; 1 John 1:7-8; 2:15-17; 1 Pet. 2:21-25)    

II.                 If we’re to end well, we must train to run well; so we must trust in and long for His promises and faithfulness (Vv. 38-40)

a.   As we submit and surrender to Him as Lord of our lives, He continually shows us who He is, reveals His promises through His Word, and faithfully fulfills them. Only God is faithful to His promises. The world around us promises to deliver great things, but never does. The world also promises us that we can deliver great things for ourselves in our own strength, but our strength ultimately fails us. God calls for our commitment and obedience to His truth and His way, and promises to deliver life transformation, continual renewal, protection, provision in the face of life’s great difficulties; and He promises to accomplish His will, purpose, and plan, and to keep us eternally in His grace. God promises and fulfills all these things in Christ. The psalmist asks to be established in God’s Word, which is to say he desires for God to ground him in His promises, that he might serve God fervently, and grow in awe, reverence, and amazement of Him and His great faithfulness. If we seek to learn, understand, and live for God’s promises, we’ll continually grow to clearly see the difference between His promises and actions and those of the world. We’ll be compelled to trust Him continually more, worry less about the reproach of the world, worry less in the midst of life’s great difficulties and uncertainty, and hunger and thirst for more or Him. God will be faithful to revive and renew us continually in His grace to see His great goodness working in all things. (Vv. 38-40; Deut. 8:3; Job 28:28; Ps. 111:2-11; Prov. 1:7; 9:1; 29:25-27; Isa. 30:20-21; Jer. 29:11-13; Matt. 4:4; 5:6; 11:28-30; John 7:17; 8:29; Rom. 8:18-39; 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:17, 21; 2 Tim. 4:6-8; Jas. 1:16-25; 1 Pet. 5:6-10)