Psalm 119:153-160 Troubles

A Devotional by Margot Ciocco

I spent the morning working on a post for Monday June 3rd filled with links to posts you may have missed. I will be taking the month of June off from posting but I don't those of you who count on and look forward to these post to be left hanging in the wind. In that post you will find links to 20 post that I wrote but some how missed getting seen.  I re-read them and thought you would enjoy them.

We are down to the last three sections of the longest Psalm in the Bible. It is an acrostic poem in which each section corresponds to a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da9W_-Y68bA&feature=share&list=PLAE37DF69613BB3F3

Psalm 119:153-160

New International Version (NIV)

ר Resh

Take a good look at my trouble, and help me—
    I haven’t forgotten your revelation.
Take my side and get me out of this;
    give me back my life, just as you promised.
“Salvation” is only gibberish to the wicked
    because they’ve never looked it up in your dictionary.
Your mercies, God, run into the billions;
    following your guidelines, revive me.
My antagonists are too many to count,
    but I don’t swerve from the directions you gave.
I took one look at the quitters and was filled with loathing;
    they walked away from your promises so casually!
Take note of how I love what you tell me;
    out of your life of love, prolong my life.
Your words all add up to the sum total: Truth.
    Your righteous decisions are eternal.

We look at trouble as if it is a negative thing. It is a tool that causes us to turn to God, to think beyond our comfort zone, to overcome, to grow up and be responsible. We can create our own trouble by foolish choices, or be caught up in the troubles caused by others, and some troubles are beyond our control. No one asks for floods, or earthquakes but sometimes we find ourselves having to dig our selves out of messes that we did nothing to deserve. Troubles can be big or little nagging things. The question is will you just throw up your hands in dispair and have a pity party, or will you look to Jesus to lead you through. 

I think of the words of Isaiah 43: 

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Right now what ever it is that has you in a panic - God says do not fear!
I love these lines from today's passage. "Your mercies, God, run into the billions; following your guidelines, revive me."

Stop running, stop panicing, stop worrying, stop spinning the problem through your brain in yet another way. Just Stop - and turn to Jesus. He has not forgotten you, but you have turned to every possible solution before you have turned to Him. He alone has the answers and can give you the plan you need to walk through this situation that troubles you. He desires to give you His peace. He desires to lead you like a shepherd, and to love and protect you like the apple of His eye.  

Take some time to think back of other times that God has delivered you. Think back and thank Him for those time. Doing so you build up your own faith and you please God who love a cheerful and thankful heart. 

I am not making light of your situation. You may have been dealing it for a very long time, you are probably weary and exhausted. 
Take your situation to Jesus and release it into His hands. Look around you, is there someone you can encourage or help or bless. You are not the only one struggling, and the seeds help you sow into the lives of others grow up. You reap what you sow. If you need help...so help. If you need understanding... sow understanding to others, if you need provisions...share your excess with others. 

Don't forget the revelation and things that God has spoken to you or shown you in His word. Hang on to His promises and be a doer of the word. 
Make up your mind to trust and to overcome. Believe that He will lead and guide you step by step. You just need to ask. 

Who are your antagonists? They are the people who add to the negativity and unbelief or faithlessness in your life. They are the people who would hold you back from moving forward in God's plans and purposes. Don't let them cause you to swerve from the directions that God has given you. You might need to distance yourself from some of them. Often they are the people closest to you, who will be most effected if you move beyond your comfort zone to live fully alive and to reach for the dreams or the mission that God has given you. 

Prayer:
I pray you will turn to Jesus that you will give him those parts of yourself that you are still trying to hang on to and control. I pray that you will experience Hi Holy Spirit leading you safely through the mine field of troubles and problems. I pray that you will look back on this and remember the deliverance and provision of a God who loves you and who will not forsake you. 

Psalm 119:97-104 Sweeter Than Honey

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio
Psalm 119:97-104

We are continuing through the longest Psalm in the bible. It will take us all of May to get through it. It is written as an acrostic poem in which each section the words start with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. I've included someone reading this portion in Hebrew if you are interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg4RxRiPX2w&feature=share&list=PLAE37DF69613BB3F3

The Message (MSG) 97-104
Oh, how I love all you’ve revealed; I reverently ponder it all the day long.
Your commands give me an edge on my enemies; they never become obsolete.
I’ve even become smarter than my teachers since I’ve pondered and absorbed your counsel.
I’ve become wiser than the wise old sages simply by doing what you tell me.
I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil so I can spend all my time keeping your Word.
I never make detours from the route you laid out; you gave me such good directions.
Your words are so choice, so tasty; I prefer them to the best home cooking.
With your instruction, I understand life; that’s why I hate false propaganda

MEM mām (ם). The thirteenth letter of the Heb. alphabet. It is used to introduce the thirteenth part of the acrostic psalm, Psalm 119, in which section every v. begins with this letter. It also was used for the number 40  ~ The Encyclopedia of the Bible

Oh, how I love Your law! I fix my mind on it all day long.
I actually like the translation of this in the Message "Oh, how I love all you’ve revealed; I reverently ponder it all the day long. Your commands give me an edge on my enemies; they never become obsolete." I guess the word 'Law" sounds too much like court rooms and a thousand rules enforce by government official. If you take that word and make it to mean all that God has revealed I can grab ahold of it. You would be hard pressed to get me to sit down and read a stack of law books on old laws and cases. I would sit down and read the revelations and the wisdom of God. Maybe the word law does not translate funny for you but for me it is a word that I find off putting. Granted David would have had the first five books of the Bible to read and that section is called the torah. "most scholars are now agreed that torah originally meant “direction” or “guidance” The Encyclopedia of the Bible

I’ve even become smarter than my teachers since I’ve pondered and absorbed your counsel.
I’ve become wiser than the wise old sages simply by doing what you tell me.
The Lord promises that the Holy Spirit will teach us in John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. There is much to be learned from the Word.

I watch my step, avoiding the ditches and ruts of evil so I can spend all my time keeping your Word. I never make detours from the route you laid out; you gave me such good directions.
We do need to avoid those ditches and the ruts that we can so easily get ourselves stuck in. I'd like to say I've never taken any detours but I have gotten side tracked. Generally its when you let bitterness grow up. It must be rooted out or it will choke you and trip you and tangle you up in some messy knots. God does give us good directions. He says forgive like He has forgiven each of us. We are not forgiven because we deserve forgiveness. We are forgiven because we believe in and serve a God who is merciful. We don't get what we deserve. What we deserve is punishment for our many sins. What we get is forgiveness, mercy, and love that sets us free.

Your words are so choice, so tasty; I prefer them to the best home cooking.
With your instruction, I understand life; that’s why I hate false propaganda.
I like this section better in the Voice "Your words are sweet to my taste! Yes, they are sweeter than honey in my mouth! I gain understanding from Your instructions; that’s why I hate every deceitful path" Sweeter than Honey, yes you are Lord. Which reminds me of this song
http://youtu.be/olBnC2nxCNw

Psalm 119:89-96 Bigger Than The Boogie Man

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5s3QKV1beA&feature=share&list=PLAE37DF69613BB3F3\


For anyone just joining this study we are looking at the longest Psalm in the Bible. Psalm 119. It is an acrostic poem divided into 22 sections with each section starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
One can't really see the beauty of the acrostic construction because of translations but it would be as if I  were to write a poem each day praising God. On the first day the letter would be "A"
Always Lord I will seek you.
Already I have put my hope and faith in you.
Answer me when I call for you are faithful.
Arise in your splender and might

The acrostic would then continue through the letters of the alphabet. I've included a video of the verses being read in Hebrew. For me hearing it in Hebrew is much like smelling the ancient, earthy, old leather smell of Nard, the fragrance poured on Jesus prior to the crucifixion. It smells to me of Jesus and these words carry that ancient sound, and although I don't directly understand the language they are like the music of the Lord's language being spoken in my presence. The resonate with a beauty and a reminder that the things of God are much richer and fuller than my limited understanding is often able to conceive. For me it is a nice touch that grounds me to an ancient past that contains a beautiful and rich story that you and I have been invited to partake.

Psalm 119:89-96 (The Voice)
The Hebrew letter "Lamedh"
89 Forever, O Eternal One, Your word stands in heaven, firm and resolute.
90 Your faithfulness endures to every generation; You founded the earth, and it remains.
91 Everything remains today in keeping with Your laws, for all things exist to serve You.
92 If I had not found joy in Your guidance, then I would have died from my misery.
93 I will never forget Your precepts, for through them You have given me life.
94 I belong to You, Lord; save me because I have taken care to live by Your principles.
95 The wicked lie in wait, anxious to kill me; I will set my mind on Your statutes.
96 I have seen the limit of all perfection, but Your commands are all-encompassing.


Forever, O Eternal One, Your word stands in heaven, firm and resolute.
God spoke and created.... and we are made in His image. We are to declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness and into His glorious light. His word stands firm and resolute, our God is not wishy washy. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We are to proclaim His truths to this generation but that does not mean we need to be all stuffy. We are to be alive in Him. Full of life that is abundant because He knows us intimately and loves us each beyond measure. His word gives us foundations and boundaries to joyously create and live full lives for His glory and pleasure. As an artist I like some structure, it gives me a frame work that helps me understand how I fit into the creative process. Boundaries and guidelines are not limiting but allow me the freedom to explore, imagine, to create. It is like the child who plays freely and happily in their own yard. The boundaries are not to limit their fun and creativity but to keep them safe and protected. As my children have gotten older their boundaries have increased as they have become more responsible and able to handle more. When they were little and started to get anxious and fussy I knew that their world had gotten too big too fast for them. So we would move back to those familiar and safe surroundings and they would toddle off happily to play. I am thankful that the Word of God stands firm and resolute giving me a wonderful environment to explore and enjoy.  

Your faithfulness endures to every generation; You founded the earth, and it remains.
Christianity did not start with my generation. There have been many generations of faithful people who loved and served the Lord before I even drew my first breath. He has been faithful to them and I hear their stories and I am encouraged that as He was faithful to them He will be faithful to you and I.

Everything remains today in keeping with Your laws, for all things exist to serve You.
I read this and I am reminded of Job 38 where God questions Job and his understanding of creation. I've just shared verses 22-30 but the rest of it is equally inspiring.

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
    or seen the storehouses of the hail,
²³ which I reserve for times of trouble,
    for days of war and battle?
²⁴ What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
    or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
²⁵ Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
    and a path for the thunderstorm,
²⁶ to water a land where no one lives,
    an uninhabited desert,
²⁷ to satisfy a desolate wasteland
    and make it sprout with grass?
²⁸ Does the rain have a father?
    Who fathers the drops of dew?
²⁹ From whose womb comes the ice?
    Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
³⁰ when the waters become hard as stone,
    when the surface of the deep is frozen?

If I had not found joy in Your guidance, then I would have died from my misery.
 I will never forget Your precepts, for through them You have given me life.
There is joy and peace in His guidance but you have to seek Him and you have to step out of the crazy rat race and the ternary of the urgent to pause, to meet with the Lord, to listen to His voice. We have filled our lives with so many distractions it is a wonder that we can hear our own flesh and blood family members. They too often are shoved aside in our busyness and the Lord is often pushed even further back in the mix. He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul... Sadly if you are just off doing your own thing you may not be hearing the shepherd who would love to lead you. 

I belong to You, Lord; save me because I have taken care to live by Your principles.
The wicked lie in wait, anxious to kill me; I will set my mind on Your statutes. 
I belong to You. Acts 17:28 says  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.
Yes there are bad and wicked things that seem at times to lie in wait to get us. I love the choice the psalmist makes at this point. He says I will set my mind on Your statutes. We have to decide what we will focus on. Will it be on fear that paralyzes and sucks the life out of us, or will we turn our eyes to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. I could break out into Vegi tales chorus "God is bigger than the boogy man, He's bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV - Yes God is bigger than the boogy man and He's watching over you and me." So here it is for those of you who might have missed this little gem. http://youtu.be/3Jd4qnxj7D0 

I have seen the limit of all perfection, but Your commands are all-encompassing.
I like this verse from the Amplified Bible.

Psalm 119:96 (AMP)
96 I have seen that everything [human] has its limits and end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity].

What ever you are facing it is not to big for God. The other side of the coin is that you may feel your concerns are not big enough to bother God with. What God wants is for you to know His love. To see that no matter how big or small your concern my be, that you don't have to handle it on your own. He won't just barge in and take over, He waits to be invited to share life with you. 

Psalm 119: Good Bye My Friends

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

http://youtu.be/-U4uF57N6eQ

ו Waw
41 Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord—
Your salvation according to Your word.
42 So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me,
For I trust in Your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I have hoped in Your ordinances.
44 So shall I keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.
46 I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings,
And will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in Your commandments,
Which I love.
48 My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments,
Which I love,
And I will meditate on Your statutes.

From the Message

Let your love, God, shape my life
with salvation, exactly as you promised;
Then I’ll be able to stand up to mockery
because I trusted your Word.
Don’t ever deprive me of truth, not ever—
your commandments are what I depend on.
Oh, I’ll guard with my life what you’ve revealed to me,
guard it now, guard it ever;
And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces
as I look for your truth and your wisdom;
Then I’ll tell the world what I find,
speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.
I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!—
relishing every fragment of your counsel.

One of our dear homeless friends passed away last night. He was fighting cancer, seems he died of a heart attack. He had told me recently how tired he had become. How there were days he had to make himself get out of bed. 

He was a happy positive person who always had a kind word and a story to tell. He would play the piano in our gym during our weekly meals. We called him Pops but his real name was Matthew. I will miss him. 

Earlier in the week we received word that several friends of our who had served in our kitchen from the 92 Air Force Squadron had died when their KC-135 military plane crashed in Krygyzastan.  They had brought their old boots for the homeless. I suppose they went out with their boots on doing the proud and honorable work of protecting our country. 

It has been a hard week of losses of generous kind hearted souls. 

In this group photo pictured in the middle is Capt. Victoria Pinckney, of the 93 squadron at Fairchild Air Force base in Spokane, WA. she was on deployment in Kyrgyzstan as well as Capt. Mark T. Voss and Tech Sgt. Herman Mackey. All three lost their lives when their jet went down.

So it is with a heavy heart that I write today's post. 

Our Psalm starts to day with the words  "Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord"—

As I think of the friends and family of these who have departed this life, my prayer is that the Lord would show His mercy and be their comfort. I think how fleeting life is for those of us created from dust. Oh Lord we need your mercy. 

And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom;  Be it the wide open skies of Kyrgyzstan or the Chevron station on 3rd and Monroe, none of us knows how long our days on this earth will be. None of us knows if the people who grace our lives today will be with us tomorrow. We are so prone to take people for granted and assume there will be another opportunity to let them know what they mean to us. Suddenly they have departed this world and we are left with memories and often regrets for those things on our heart that we neglected to share. 

Don’t ever deprive me of truth, not ever— your commandments are what I depend on.

Are you depending on God and choosing to live His way. When tragedy strikes, and a plane goes down  or a homeless man who lived in a motor home dies on a street corner, are you trusting him. When children are gunned down by a crazy person in a school it is then that we must depend on the comfort of the Lord. It is then that we become an extension of his comfort and love to those who are hurting. 

I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!

—relishing every fragment of your counsel.

Luke 10:27
He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighboras well as you do yourself.”

Luke 12:6-7
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Proverbs 10:7
7 The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.

Psalm 90: 12

So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

I found this song that I thought was a nice memorial. Please join me in praying for the family and friends who are hurting from these recent losses. Maybe you have an ache in your own heart over a loved one departed. I pray the Holy Spirit will be your comforter. Life is precious - may you live yours wisely and not take for granted the people who grace your days. O Lord let your love shape our lives. 

http://youtu.be/gghG64i8Mmg

BETH - Psalm 119:9-16

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio




This portion of Psalm 119 is brought to you by the Hebrew letter Beth. Each section of 8 verses go along with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is an acrostic poem in which each of the first words of pairs of verses starts with the letter of that section. Its hard to see and appreciate in English.

You can make one for your name like I have done with mine. I won't claim to be a poet but acrostic can help you to memorize. Perhaps you put your personal mission statement into an acrostic to help you remember it.

Make my life a prayer to you.
Arise I will at dawn to pray
Ready to dig into your word
Golden treasures hidden for those who care to seek
Out into my day I go with you by my side
There I am your hands and feet to love is your design.






I found some one reading today's portion of Psalm 119 in Hebrew.
http://youtu.be/NNN7Ozz7OKE


 Beth

⁹ How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
¹⁰ With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
¹¹ Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
¹² Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.
¹³ With my lips I have declared
All the judgments of Your mouth.
¹⁴ I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
¹⁵ I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
¹⁶ I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.

Here it is in the Message

How can a young person live a clean life?
    By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I’m single-minded in pursuit of you;
    don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart
    so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God;
    train me in your ways of wise living.
I’ll transfer to my lips
    all the counsel that comes from your mouth;
I delight far more in what you tell me about living
    than in gathering a pile of riches.
I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,
    I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
I relish everything you’ve told me of life,
    I won’t forget a word of it.

It is so easy to loose our way at times. We have so many voices and opinions trying to tell us what God's plan for our life is. Sadly most of those who are talking can't even figure out their own lives. 
God's word is our road map. He posts road signs long the way for us. Confirmations that we are heading the right way.

 I delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches.
Do you delight more in living His way than you do about gathering riches. Is he your provider? Does he know your address? Is his timing perfect? It is, yet so much of the time I can find myself fretting about such things. It is so easy for me to at times only see the here and now and to completely forget that there is a spiritual realm. We may feel insignificant and doubt our gifts and callings when all the time where the action is is in the spiritual realm. We wrestle not agains flesh and blood but agains powers and principalities and rulers of the air. We cast down imaginations and every thing that exalts it self above God.   

Be blessed, God; train me in your ways of wise living.  Help me Lord to silence the accuser. That enemy that roars and taunts. Help me to pick up those smooth stones from the river bed and go into battle knowing I might not be much to look at but I serve an awesome God. 

I’m single-minded in pursuit of you; don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted.
Sometimes we get ourselves in such a dither that we can recognize God's answer if it were standing in front of us staring in our face and tickling us with a feather. All we can see is our lack when what we should see is how great is our God.  Hagar in the desert completely misses the near by well because she is beside herself with grief thinking she will have to watch her son die. Its not like God went poof - theres a well. It was already there. She just could not see it.  Keep your eyes on Jesus, he is the author and finisher of our faith. He knows the end from the beginning and everything in between.

I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’ve done it.
Are you hungry enough to ponder each morsel of wisdom. What is God saying to you when you open His Word. How is the Holy Spirit teaching and training you. Are you attentively watching how God has done things and what is is doing presently? Or are you distracted by too many devices. It is important to un-plug from the amazing technology of our day. It is really cool but God is so much richer and so much more satisfying. 

With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth.

 Are you declaring the things of God. I know that my redeemer lives. I am loved and accepted, I am valuable and he calls me His beloved. I am the apple of His eye, He hides me in the shelter of his wings. When I walk through the fire I will not be burned, when the flood rises around me I will not be drowned. Fear not I am with you. He formed me in the secret place before I came to be He knew me.

I just wrote all of those from memory they are not word for word and I generally can't quote you chapter and verse. I have thought about His word, I sing his word, I read is word. It has saturated me and fills me it is my daily bread. 

  

Matthew 4:4
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
 

Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Psalm 17
Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.

Job 19:25
For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

Ephesians 1:6
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Psalm 139:13
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.

1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Are you declaring the Word of God are you standing on it and believing that it is true. Are you able to rightly divide it and to correctly apply it to various situations? Do you remember it when you are in trouble? I don't have to go running around in a crisis to try and build up my faith. I come into it filled from eating daily at the Lord's table. When I find I am under attack I remind myslef that no weapon formed against me will prosper. When people are being mean and saying hurtful things I remeind myself that my fight is not with flesh and blood but with principalities and power and rulers of the air.

Most Christians are clueless that at times they have become a weapon in the enemies hands. I need to pray for that person to be delivered from the enemies clutches. I need to forgive them they don't know what they are doing. Thats what Jesus did on the cross.

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.


Even when I find myself in an identity crisis or questioning my path and examining my priorities. I do not loose sight that God is sovereign. He has not lapsed into a coma while sitting on his throne. He is active and participating in the lives of those who will invite him to come in and sup with Him.

I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.
Are you delighting in the things of God or has it an obligation or a duty of sorts. 
I will delight in you and I will not forget your word. Thank you for writing it in my heart and mind. Should they some day confiscate all my bibles and my computer - His word will remain hidden in my heart.


We all have our ups and down. Times when we loose sight of who we are in Him. We all have times when the enemies roaring seems to drown out the truth. Times when we fall prey to the lies and the arrows. Times when we are broken and need to be healed. Through it all God's word remains constant.  He is faithful when we falter. He loves us just as much on our good days as on our bad days. You are precious to him.

How can you live a clean life, by staying connected to Jesus. Be nourished by his word. Drink from the sweet waters that flow from His presence.  I'm sure there is more to be minded from this portion of the word and perhaps you will share your insights.

Prayer:
Be blessed as you spend time delighting in His Word. May He help you to see that particular verse that speaks right to your present need. May you find new wonder and joy as you move through your day and may you know that He is near you and will never leave or forsake you.

Aleph - Meditations on the Excellencies God's Word

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Source: jewishvirtuallibrary.org via Margot on Pinterest

It seems that Arlee Bird, the founder of the A-Z challenge was not the first to come up with the idea.
Actually I think this is kind of funny. I had decided to tackle Psalm 119 during the month of May. It is the longest Psalm in the bible and it has funny words over each paragraph. It turns out that "the psalm is an acrostic of twenty-two stanzas, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The eight poetic lines of each stanza begin with the same Hebrew letter." ~The Reformation Study Bible

Matthew Henry has this to say "It is divided into twenty-two parts, according to the number of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and each part consists of eight verses, all the verses of the first part beginning with Aleph, all the verses of the second with Beth, and so on, without any flaw throughout the whole psalm. Archbishop Tillotson says, It seems to have more of poetical skill and number in it than we at this distance can easily understand. Some have called it the saints’ alphabet; and it were to be wished we had it as ready in our memories as the very letters of our alphabet, as ready as our A B C."

So here's our passage for today for the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. If you look at the chart above you may be confused like I was they read from right to left so the Aleph is the top line on the right side. Its called the "alef-bet," from the names of its first two letters. If you would like to hear how each letter is pronounced I found a site that has a sound file that you can click. http://hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/Aleph-Bet/aleph-bet.html
Here's one you can learn and sing to the kids. http://hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/Aleph-Bet/abet022.mp3

א Aleph

119 Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
Who walk in the law of the Lord!
² Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
³ They also do no iniquity;
They walk in His ways.
⁴ You have commanded us
To keep Your precepts diligently.
⁵ Oh, that my ways were directed
To keep Your statutes!
⁶ Then I would not be ashamed,
When I look into all Your commandments.
⁷ I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
When I learn Your righteous judgments.
⁸ I will keep Your statutes;
Oh, do not forsake me utterly!

I thought this was interesting 

"The Hebrew word for "letter" is ot (אוֹת), which can also mean "sign" or "wonder." Each letter of the Aleph-Bet, then, may contain signs that point to wonderful truths about life.

According to midrash, the LORD God Himself taught the alphabet (along with the numerical values, mathematical relationships, etc. for the letters) to Adam ha-rishon, who then transmitted this knowledge to his sons, and they passed this to their sons, and so on, until it was taught to Jacob at the School of Shem in Salem (later renamed Jerusalem). Jacob taught the secrets of the alphabet to Joseph, who used it to decipher dreams, etc. "~ John J Parsons of Hebrew for Christians. 

I'm going to take a look at this set of verses in the Message Version of the bible. Because my first pass through it feels a bit legalistic and I'm sure it is because of words like commandments, statutes, judgement, iniquity. Those are words we kind of glaze over in our Jesus my buddy and pal mentality. 

Psalm 119

The Message (MSG)

119 ^1-8 You’re blessed when you stay on course,
    walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
    doing your best to find him.
That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
    you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
    now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady,
    keeping to the course you set;
Then I’d never have any regrets
    in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
    I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I’m going to do what you tell me to do;
    don’t ever walk off and leave me.

I think this is interesting as I am presently trying to figure out what is God's plan, course, path, or purpose for my life. I've approach life with a if you see a need do what you can to meet it kind of mentality. As a result I have a lot of skills from years of mostly volunteer ministry work. I've led children's ministries, and youth groups, home groups. I've done tech stuff and set up and nursery and Vacation Bible School. I've been on church boards and prayer teams, worship teams. Ministries to the homeless and poor and Servant Evangelism. I've had opportunities to explore a lot of things. Other than available, what exactly is Gods plan and calling for my life? 

I suppose around 50+ you start to think about what you want to do for the rest of your life because... well the sands of time are slipping away.  So I am re-evaluating and fine tuning. I've just started reading a book called The Path by Laurie Beth Jones. She says "A personal mission statement acts as both a harness and a sword - harnessing you to what is true about your life, and cutting away all that is false." 

She says later" People cannot find their missions until they know themselves. Even Jesus had to go out into the wilderness to get clear about who he was and to take the full measure of his gifts. The fact that he was able to describe himself afterwards in single - word pictures is a testimony of the power of self-knowledge and self - esteem. 'I am the Light', He said. I am the Way. I am the Vine. I am the Good Shepherd. I am the Gate. He had a multitude of powerful and positive images that communicated to both himself and others who he was."

"You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God."

How can you stay on course when you don't know what your course actually is. Really living the Christian life has to be about more than don't cuss, don't chew and don't hang with those who do. Its more than a life of don't. God has a wonderful plan and like our Psalm says "you are blessed when you stay on course. But notice that its not your own road, it is the road revealed by God. Most of us don't even bother to consult God on what we should do or what way we should go. I believe he wants to help us understand ourselves. Why has he given us particular opportunities to gain various skills, why has the Holy Spirit given us particular gifts? How has our environment and the people in in molded and shaped us. Have we been shaped to His design or have we morphed into the ideals of others and find ourselves unfilled trying to live out someone else's dream or unfulfilled dream.  

You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. 

So maybe you feel clueless but his directions are found in his Word. You have to do more with that bible of your than use it to prop up the bed or to gather dust. When we do our best to find Him he meet us. If you seek you will find, if you seek with all your heart. 

That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it.

Are you on the strait road that he has set for you or have you gotten off into the weeds and brambles?

I've been praying and seeking the Lord for direction and I started a drawing journal. As I pray and listen I try to express it on the papers. 

The mountains are the big obstacles that loom ahead of us. We have to choose to believe that God is bigger than those things that seem to stand in our way like the giant Goliath. We need to be like David or Joshua and Caleb who believed God could make a way even when we are as small as grasshoppers compared to the giants we face. 

Again God's instructions are found in his Word. He has prescribed the way to live. Its up to you to decide to live it.  

The last part is like a prayer and you might even echo it as you pray today. 

"Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set;
Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me."

Some of you live with a mountain of regrets. You have not done things God's way and you and others around you have been hurt and broken. God wants to forgive and heal you. He wants to speak strait to your heart and to help you to learn the pattern of His right ways of living. He wants to help you to discover what he dreamed for you to be.  He promises to never leave or forsake us. There is another verse that says nothing can snatch you out of his hand. You however can walk away sometimes intentionally and sometimes you have just slowly drifted and have become like that couple that passes one another in the hall but are no longer really connected. God want to reconnect you. He wants to make you alive with his purposes and plans. 

Prayer:

Help us to make our step steady and to find and keep on the course that you have set for each of us. Help us to repent and forgive and deal with the mountain of regrets. Wash us that we might walk rightly before you covered by the precious blood of Jesus, that allows us to approach you in your awesome holiness. Help us to be assured of your love and faithfulness and to know you will never walk off and leave us.