Read the Word: Psalm 119:33-40

Meditate on the Word:

Growing up in a time when cars were somewhat simple to work on, with relatively few electronics, my dad often repaired vehicles himself. When you have the ability to do it yourself, you can potentially save a lot of money. For repairs that weren’t as simple, there was a book that could be purchased, specific to the make and model of car, that gave instructions on how to make many of the repairs. When I started buying (used) cars myself, the previous owner of one left the book in the car for me. I should have taken that as a warning.

To me, these manuals may as well have been written in hieroglyphics. I did not understand them. Of course, I was not willing to put much effort into learning how to use them. Understanding them might have obligated me to actually make repairs and perform maintenance on my car. I would never have understood these manuals on my own, however. It would have taken someone teaching me how to do the work.

The Word of God is the same way. The psalmist in this passage recognizes that we need the Lord to teach us to understand His word. In 1 Corinthians 3:14, Paul also reminds of of this fact. We require that Holy Spirit to help us to understand the Word of the Lord so that we can learn from it, obey it, and take pleasure in it.

Pray the Word:

Ask the Lord to help you understand His word and how to apply it in your life.