The Words of My Mouth

Walking Thoughts — Psalm 19

Psalm 19 is a psalm of praise to God; it talks about how all creation declares his praise. Then, it talks about how perfect and good God’s law is. It ends with the famous prayer that many say before preaching:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. — Psalm 19:14.

The psalmist recognizes that all of creation was made to praise God and, in fact, does. His prayer at the end notes that he, a human, does not do so naturally.

One sure way to ensure that the words of our mouths are acceptable to God is by guarding what our hearts meditate upon. This is why it is so crucial that he lists the characteristics of God’s law:

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.
— Psalm 19:7-11

I realized that I often meditate on things that aren’t rooted in God’s word. These aren't wicked things, per se, just the constant flow of information that comes to us in our day and age: Olympic updates, NFL news, political news, stock market info, and so on and so forth.

It is better to dwell on the perfect law of God, which brings liberty to the soul.

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