I will praise You with uprightness of heart,
when I learn Your righteous judgments
Psalm 119:7
TAKING IT IN
An instrument that has not been finely tuned will certainly lack the tone of the beautiful music for which it was made.
We will never gain true renewal of heart, mind, and conscience – the revival of our souls – as long as we give lip service only to obedience to God’s Law. The psalmist insists that worship comes from an upright heart, and an upright heart is formed by learning the holy, righteous, and perfect ways of God.
Remind yourself today of where you were before you came to know Jesus Christ. (I cringe when I think of where I was). You are not that person today because you have learned of His righteous judgments. His Word has changed your life. If you think about where you were then and where you are now, praise fills your heart with gratitude that He has changed you from the inside out.
And like an instrument that is being finely tuned, your heart is becoming more and more attuned to the sound of His voice, the ways of His Word and an uprightness of heart begins to manifest!
It was one commentator who said:
The more we know of God, the more shall we see in Him to praise. The larger our acquaintance and experience, the more our hearts will be disposed to magnify His name. This remark must extend to all that there is in God to be learned; and as that is infinite, so there will be occasion for renewed and more elevated praise to all eternity.
MAKING IT MEANINGFUL
The upright heart is a heart filled with truth and it now yearns and longs for integrity in life as it pursues to learn more about the ways of God.
The idea of “learning” in this text goes beyond the kind of information-gathering, processing, and sorting that characterizes so much Christian learning today.
The Hebrew verb here means “to become accustomed to.” Every area of our lives become accustomed to living according to God’s prescribed ways and we begin to understand how great and perfect His Word is, and no other response but praise can rise in our hearts. As we humble ourselves recognizing the errors of our own way, we are thankful for His grace and mercy and how He patiently works in our lives to bring us to Christ-likeness.
Take in the deep truth and promise of Psalm 84:11 today. Write it down and commit it to memory.
WORKING IT INTO MY HEART
The Word of God reveals the beauty and glory of the Lord. It illuminates the path and leads the way into abundant life. Under the loving teaching of the Holy Spirit, the Word convicts us of sin, points to the way of righteousness, and warns of the judgment of God against all who ignore His commands.
We know the Law does not save us. We are saved by the righteousness and sacrifice of Jesus, which we appropriate by grace through faith.
While the Law does not save us, it enables us to work out our salvation. As we become accustomed to living in God’s Word we learn to delight in it, and make more time to meditate in it day by day. The Word renews our minds and provides us with a biblical worldview and an eternal perspective. The Word of God, as we learn it and grow increasingly accustomed to living in it, fine tunes our hearts – it utterly reforms and revives our souls, giving us new vision, new aspirations, and new priorities in line with those of God Himself.
Read Psalm 1 and journal your thoughts in light of what you have learned today. Then sing it with an upright heart and give praise to God!