Unleashed

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:9-16 ESV).

We’re continuing in Psalm 119 today. Our reading is the next acrostic letter, which is Beth. That’s the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The principle is to be found in the psalmist prayer to not “wander” from God’s direction. I was reminded of our dog, Teddy. As you can see, he’s cute; however, he’s also a terrier. He loves to run free. Fortunately we have a very large fenced backyard that gives him all the running room he could want. There are those times when we need to take him outside of the fenced area. Of course, that requires a leash. Recently that happened on a trip to the vet. He pulled himself to the end of the retractable leash and struggled against the end to the point that he choked himself. Even then, he wanted more leash. He wanted to run free. Going into the vet’s office I noticed other dogs exhibiting totally different reactions to being leashed. Teddy wanted to run about doing whatever he wanted, full of the exhilaration of freedom. The other stayed close by his master. Both were under good voice command and obeyed. One just delighted in being near the master more than running free. We often treat God’s Word like it’s a voice command to bring me back so I don’t stray while I enjoy the thrill of being free. We like to explore the outer boundaries of approved behavior and then return; and then only when we hear His voice calling us back since we’ve gone a little too far. The other dog helped me to think about the simple act of prayer. I wonder how often do we act as though we are simply delighted to be near our Master? Do we hang on every word He says? Do we cherish the sound of His footsteps and walking right beside Him? Do we rejoice in His Word as the Psalmist does, “as one rejoices in great riches?” Both dogs obeyed, but one seemed to prefer the master to the freedom. I have found that the freedom of being unleashed from our heavenly Father always brings regrets. Don’t misunderstand. God doesn’t leash us to restrict us, but to protect us. Our vet’s office is located off the feeder road of the interstate highway. There are always cars racing down the road. In his exuberance of being free, he could easily dart into the road and be seriously, if not fatally injured. “Delight in His statutes.” It will go better for you!