Psalm 119, pt II: Strengthen me according to Your word

From Psalms

Psalm 119, verses 17-32 

(Gimel)
¹⁷Deal bountifully with thy servant,
      that I may live, and keep thy word.
¹⁸Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold
      wondrous things out of thy law.
¹⁹I am a stranger in the earth:
      hide not thy commandments from me.
²⁰My soul breaketh for the longing
      that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
²¹Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed,
      which do err from thy commandments.
²²Remove from me reproach and contempt;
      for I have kept thy testimonies.
²³Princes also did sit and speak against me:
      but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
²⁴Thy testimonies also are my delight
      and my counselors.

(Daleth)
²⁵My soul cleaveth unto the dust:
      quicken thou me according to thy word.
²⁶I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me:
      teach me thy statutes.
²⁷Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:
      so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
²⁸My soul melteth for heaviness:
      strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
²⁹Remove from me the way of lying:
      and grant me thy law graciously.
³⁰I have chosen the way of truth:
      thy judgments have I laid before me.
³¹I have stuck unto thy testimonies:
      O Lord, put me not to shame.
³²I will run the way of thy commandments,
      when thou shalt enlarge my heart.

Strengthen me according to Your word, Oh Lord.  Remove from me the way of lying.  I really appreciate this term, "they way of lying."  It's not just remove the lies from from my life - but the way of lying from me.  That includes the cheating, the lying, the deception, the hiding and covering up, the stealing - all the ways of lying.  Because if I can have god remove from me the way of lying then I can be truer to myself and to the person God intends for me to be.

I am choosing the way of truth.  And truly I need to be strengthened to have the courage to live truthfully.  Sometimes it is so much easier to hide from the tough decisions and the truth.  God's word and judgments I have laid before me.

As I read this part of Psalm 119 I get the sense that the psalmist is crying out to God.  Possibly because, as I read it, I feel like I am crying out to God for this support.  Why is it I still struggle with "the way of lying."  That I feel I must hide and cover-up, deceive and steal.  What is it I am afraid of?  I guess it varies from situation to situation but I still have fear in my life.  Fear of authority, fear of failure, and fear of rejection.  There is nothing logical about any of this fear but I still have it.  And so it is I turn to God, again, and ask for Him to quicken me and strengthen me to overcome these fears so that I can live the way of truth.

Thanks for letting me share.