November 5:
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, Because of
Your righteous judgments. – Psalm 119:62
Psalm 119 is a song of celebration of God’s Word. It is
said to have been required reading and memorization for
every child in Hebrew school and in the Hebrew has many
elements that lend itself to easy memorization. I had
difficulty memorizing the Declaration of Independence and
the Preamble to the Constitution in school. Nevertheless,
this song was meant to inspire a deep-seated commitment
and love for the Word of God.
We live in an age where even those who fill the pews of
our churches have little respect or appreciation for the
Word. We rarely open the Word during our busy week.
We do not ponder what God has for us there, and are often
weak under fire because of it. We certainly do not reflect
the attitude of the psalmist here. When was the last time
you woke up in the night for anything, much less to spend
time thanking God for His Word?
We stay up late to watch the game, finish a favorite movie
or spend time on Facebook. We rise early to hunt, fish, be
the first at the yard sale. We inconvenience ourselves to
fulfill all sorts of desires. Then, when it comes to the
Word, we are too tired, too busy, or too preoccupied with
other things to make time for it.
It makes me wonder about our priorities. The psalmist was
so thankful for the Word, he was willing to interrupt his
sleep and make it a priority. How about us? Does our
attitude toward the Word of God communicate our
gratitude for this precious gift God has given? Give
Thanks!