Psalm 119

O God, I want so very much to please You,
to walk in Your ways
and to carry out Your purposes.
There is nothing as important to me
as being in the center of Your will
and living within Your design for my life.

While others may find their fulfillment
in the acquisition of wealth
or the accumulation of things,
in doing something better than everyone else,
or in the plaudits of their peers,
my foremost desire is
to be the object of Your love
and to be Your child and servant forever.

Not only have You fashioned me with Your hands,
O Lord,
and created me for Your purposes.
You have stamped Your image upon my heart.
Therefore my deepest longings are met only in You
and in the dedication of my Life
to the accomplishment of Your objectives.

How can I live a life that is pleasing to You,
O Lord?
My instincts are earthbound.
The ephemeral delights of this life
tantalize and tempt me.
My insatiable longings
and desperate attempts to please You
are thwarted by the innumerable enemies
of my soul.

I fail so often to do what I really want to do,
to attain what I strive for,
to grasp what I reach for,
and I fall back in shame
and am flattened in despair.

You do forgive me when I fail, O Lord,
and You put me upon my feet again.
You have promised to strengthen me
and to sustain me in my daily conflicts.
Now I pray for the wisdom to discern Your will
and the grace to carry it out
in the difficult days before me.

You have shown me how much You love me, Lord;
now show me how to love You.
Your standards for me are clear.
I am to translate Your love into terms
that others can comprehend,
to demonstrate it before my fellowmen about me.
I can truly love You only inasmuch as I proceed
to love Your children in this world.
I can serve You only as I commit my life to service
on behalf of my brothers and sisters.
I can offer sacrifices to You only by way
of the altar of my neighbor's need.
This is Your law, Your standard,
Your design and will for my life.
This is the way in which I will be pleasing to You.

I do love You, O God,
and Your will for me is the delight of my heart.
I have a sincere love for many people
who cross my path,
and I rejoice in the privilege of serving them.
An yet, O Lord, there are so many people
whom I do not love.
The demons of bigotry and apathy
and jealousy and selfishness
plague my soul and numb my sensitivities
and stay my hand from reaching out
to help my fellowman.
I sin against them,
and I need to be restored and renewed
by Your loving touch.

How I praise You, O Lord,
because You love me even when I fail
to respond in loving obedience!
Whereas I cannot comprehend You,
You do understand me,
and You continue to hold me
within Your loving embrace.
While I fall short of my sincere intentions
to abide within Your will for me,
Your promises are eternally secure,
and You tenderly and patiently
rekindle the fires within me and empower me
to do that which I cannot do by myself.

I love You, O God
and I gladly accept Your will and purpose
for my life.
Now bless me and guide me
and grant me the grace
to walk within that will and purpose
and have the joy and knowing
that I am pleasing to You.

Psalms/Now
Brandt/Cortia