Every time I write in reference to Psalm 119, I like to remind us, that it contains 176 verses which are divided into 22 stanzas, and each stanza is titled with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. Today’s stanza is titles with the 22nd and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Taw (tav or taf), which means mark, sign and signature.
Do you believe that you are marked as a servant of God? Let me ask in a different way. Do you believe that when Jesus saved you, He held your heart within His hands, He washed your sins away, He baptized you with His Holy Spirit, and said to all of heaven, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep” (Luke 15:1-7) and I have a new life for my beloved?
The last verse of Psalm 119 is something you and I, as believers, need to be become very familiar with, “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me (Lord Jesus), for I have not forgotten your commands.” These words are a confession of our sin. Words that should come easy to believers. Why? Because we understand what it means to be lost, or in dead living, as we have wondering without Jesus and that is NOT where we want to be. An unbelieving heart or a heart filled with religious righteousness will struggle to confess verse 176. Why? Because they are unaware of their “lostness” or do not want to come out of their “dead living”. They enjoy their sinful way of life. You and I, as active and faithful believers, understand our desperate need to be connected to Jesus, Who is the Word of Life, and that means our thoughts, words, actions, inactions, and hearts must reflect the One Who is the Word, Jesus.
How do we allow the Holy Spirit to operate in and through us, in other words, how do we sanctify our thoughts, speech, actions, etc.? Well, we don’t sanctify ourselves, Jesus does that for us, and verses 169 through 175 point us to what we need to be doing in order to allow the Holy Spirit the room within us to produce sanctified thinking, which then produces sanctified speech, and so on.
We PRAY, we PRAISE, & we EVANGELIZE…wait, Jen…I am not good at evangelizing. Yes, you are! God created each one of us to share His Word, and that is all evangelism is, sharing God’s Word. Don’t over think it, just allow the Holy Spirit to move within you and through you to bring God’s Word, His love, into someone’s heart. Sure, some people will evangelize to groups of people, but others are called to evangelize one-on-one. Just remember to not over think it, allow the Holy Spirit to operate within you and by the Word of God, speak the love of Jesus into someone else’s life TODAY.
Psalm 119:169-176 (NLT)
Taw
169 O Lord, listen to my cry;
give me the discerning mind you promised.
170 Listen to my prayer;
rescue me as you promised.
171 Let praise flow from my lips,
for you have taught me your decrees.
172 Let my tongue sing about your word,
for all your commands are right.
173 Give me a helping hand,
for I have chosen to follow your commandments.
174 O Lord, I have longed for your rescue,
and your instructions are my delight.
175 Let me live so I can praise you,
and may your regulations help me.
176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for being our Sheppard and for coming to save each one of us from our sinful life of dead living. Holy Spirit, be our Guide as we pray, as we praise, and as we share your Word with others. Help us to laid down our insecurities, those places that the enemy seeks to hold us back from praying, praising, and evangelizing. We want to be close with You, and we trust that You will break down those walls that keep us from growing with You. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.