Editor’s Note: This is post 6 of 6 in a weeklong series on Psalm 119. Click here for more.
Ladies, reading Psalm 119 may feel a bit like an invasion of privacy, like opening a lover’s journal with expressions of longing and delight, but when we view ourselves as the psalmist, the words take on an intimate, personal nature. So, today, as you read and/or listen to the psalm, imagine that you are the psalmist, writing 22 individual love letters (or 22 stanzas in a love song) to the Lover of your soul. Then, ask the Lord to make the words of this psalm your personal longing and delight as you move through your day. — Jaime Sherman
Then, after you read…
Did you enjoy reading Psalm 119 from the perspective of the psalmist, expressing her love for the Lord? We often call God’s Word His love letter to us, but Psalm 119 can be viewed as our love letter to Him. The words express an intense longing for the words and ways of the Lord. Throughout 22 stanzas and 176 verses, the psalmist describes this love in much the same way a woman courts the one she loves, for as Bible commentator Matthew Henry says, “What we love, we love to think of.”
In the chart below are just a few of the examples of this adoration from Psalm 119.
| Key verses | How can I live this out in my own life? |
|---|---|
| I fix my eyes on your ways (v. 15). | |
| My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times (v. 20) | |
| I find my delight in your commandments, which I love (v. 47). | |
| At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules (v. 62). | |
| Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (v. 105). | |
| You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word (v. 114). | |
| Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules (v. 164). | |
| I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight (v. 174). |
Prayer: Lord, thank You for this love letter and for the encouragement to fix my eyes on your ways and words. Help me to trust You hour by hour through each day as I make You my hiding place and shield. I love You, Lord.