With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
To seek God with the whole heart is to ask Him to keep the seeker from straying or turning aside from His commandments and faithful to them. It belongs to the blessed, undefiled life of walking in the law of the Lord, keeping His testimonies and precepts diligently, doing no iniquity, and learning His righteous judgments with upright praise. Joined to taking heed to His word and hiding His word in the heart, it is how the way is cleansed and the young are kept from sin. It is the consecration of heart and mind that God asks, which His servants should continually offer in prayer. It is a lesson children and youth are to learn and remember, to desire the way of the Lord, resist pressure to conform, and be fitted by inward change for practical life and service to others.
Meaning and Psalm Context
Seeking God with the whole heart means asking Him for help to remain faithful to His commandments and not to stray, wander, or turn aside from them. Wholehearted seeking and the plea not to be left to wander belong together as one prayer of dependence. It belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law as the guide for life, where God's Word lays down righteousness and clearly distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error. His Word in this setting guides the believer's way and guards against sin.
It belongs to the blessed, undefiled life of walking in the law of the Lord, keeping His testimonies, statutes, precepts, and judgments. That life does no iniquity but walks in His ways and not in human ways, keeping His precepts diligently and having respect to all His commandments. It also includes learning His righteous judgments with uprightness of heart and praise.
Together with taking heed to God's Word, it describes how the way is cleansed, and together with hiding God's Word in the heart, it describes how a young person keeps the way clean and is kept from sin. Cleansing comes by taking heed according to God's Word, by seeking Him with the whole heart and asking not to wander, while hiding the Word within guards the heart against sinning. It points out the sacredness of God's law and is set forth when the wickedness of the world has reached the point where the Lord will certainly interfere and will not acquit the wicked.
Faith, Grace, and Consecration
Seeking God with the whole heart while asking not to wander from His commandments means laying hold upon Christ's merits. This laying hold is made possible because Christ clothed His divinity with humanity. It recognizes obedience to God's law as the virtue of the covenant of grace. It carries the same precious assurance as the promise that God will put His laws in minds. That promise is given to those who receive Christ and believe on His name and receive power to become sons of God.
The verse reveals a consecration to God of heart and mind. That is the consecration God asks. God's servants should continually offer such a prayer. It is strength for God's workers. The Lord will surely lead those who unite to do His will as He led David.
Instruction for Youth and Service
Seeking God with the whole heart means asking Him for help to remain faithful to His commandments and not to stray, turn aside, or wander from them. It is a lesson for children to learn and remember. Young men and women should study these words to encourage in themselves a spirit that desires to heed the way of the Lord and to avoid wandering from it. It belongs to cleansing the way and learning to keep God's statutes, testimonies, precepts, and judgments. It reveals a consecration to God of heart and mind, the consecration God asks, and God's servants should continually offer such a prayer.
Commitment to God's commandments in this verse guides young people in resisting pressure to conform, as Jesus met the urging of young companions to conform to their conduct with this appeal to Scripture. Wholehearted seeking joined to dependence on God to keep from straying is thus the pattern for youth under such pressure. The verse is to be known in personal experience through learning how to read and study the Bible. Joined to cleansing the way by taking heed to God's word and to hiding God's word in the heart in order not to sin, it describes an inward change that fits youth for practical life and missionary work. That fitness comes by first learning obedience and temperance themselves, so they can enlighten and teach others from their own experience while gaining practical knowledge of work.
To seek God with the whole heart is to ask Him to keep the seeker from straying or turning aside from His commandments and faithful to them. It belongs to the blessed, undefiled life of walking in the law of the Lord, keeping His testimonies and precepts diligently, doing no iniquity, and learning His righteous judgments with upright praise. Joined to taking heed to His word and hiding His word in the heart, it is how the way is cleansed and the young are kept from sin. It is the consecration of heart and mind that God asks, which His servants should continually offer in prayer. It is a lesson children and youth are to learn and remember, to desire the way of the Lord, resist pressure to conform, and be fitted by inward change for practical life and service to others.
Meaning and Psalm Context
Seeking God with the whole heart means asking Him for help to remain faithful to His commandments and not to stray, wander, or turn aside from them. Wholehearted seeking and the plea not to be left to wander belong together as one prayer of dependence. It belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law as the guide for life, where God's Word lays down righteousness and clearly distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error. His Word in this setting guides the believer's way and guards against sin.
It belongs to the blessed, undefiled life of walking in the law of the Lord, keeping His testimonies, statutes, precepts, and judgments. That life does no iniquity but walks in His ways and not in human ways, keeping His precepts diligently and having respect to all His commandments. It also includes learning His righteous judgments with uprightness of heart and praise.
Together with taking heed to God's Word, it describes how the way is cleansed, and together with hiding God's Word in the heart, it describes how a young person keeps the way clean and is kept from sin. Cleansing comes by taking heed according to God's Word, by seeking Him with the whole heart and asking not to wander, while hiding the Word within guards the heart against sinning. It points out the sacredness of God's law and is set forth when the wickedness of the world has reached the point where the Lord will certainly interfere and will not acquit the wicked.
Faith, Grace, and Consecration
Seeking God with the whole heart while asking not to wander from His commandments means laying hold upon Christ's merits. This laying hold is made possible because Christ clothed His divinity with humanity. It recognizes obedience to God's law as the virtue of the covenant of grace. It carries the same precious assurance as the promise that God will put His laws in minds. That promise is given to those who receive Christ and believe on His name and receive power to become sons of God.
The verse reveals a consecration to God of heart and mind. That is the consecration God asks. God's servants should continually offer such a prayer. It is strength for God's workers. The Lord will surely lead those who unite to do His will as He led David.
Instruction for Youth and Service
Seeking God with the whole heart means asking Him for help to remain faithful to His commandments and not to stray, turn aside, or wander from them. It is a lesson for children to learn and remember. Young men and women should study these words to encourage in themselves a spirit that desires to heed the way of the Lord and to avoid wandering from it. It belongs to cleansing the way and learning to keep God's statutes, testimonies, precepts, and judgments. It reveals a consecration to God of heart and mind, the consecration God asks, and God's servants should continually offer such a prayer.
Commitment to God's commandments in this verse guides young people in resisting pressure to conform, as Jesus met the urging of young companions to conform to their conduct with this appeal to Scripture. Wholehearted seeking joined to dependence on God to keep from straying is thus the pattern for youth under such pressure. The verse is to be known in personal experience through learning how to read and study the Bible. Joined to cleansing the way by taking heed to God's word and to hiding God's word in the heart in order not to sin, it describes an inward change that fits youth for practical life and missionary work. That fitness comes by first learning obedience and temperance themselves, so they can enlighten and teach others from their own experience while gaining practical knowledge of work.