THE LAW IS LOVELY
Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, thank you for the gift of your Word, for without it I could not know you and would never understand the depths of your great love for me.
Read PSALM 119:153–176
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
ר Resh
153 Look on my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Defend my cause and redeem me;
preserve my life according to your promise.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek out your decrees.
156 Your compassion, Lord, is great;
preserve my life according to your laws.
157 Many are the foes who persecute me,
but I have not turned from your statutes.
158 I look on the faithless with loathing,
for they do not obey your word.
159 See how I love your precepts;
preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.
160 All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.
ש Sin and Shin
161 Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.
162 I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and detest falsehood
but I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.
165 Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.
166 I wait for your salvation, Lord,
and I follow your commands.
167 I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.
168 I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.
ת Taw
169 May my cry come before you, Lord;
give me understanding according to your word.
170 May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.
171 May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.
172 May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.
173 May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174 I long for your salvation, Lord,
and your law gives me delight.
175 Let me live that I may praise you,
and may your laws sustain me.
176 I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Pray before you read God’s Word today: ‘Let my cry come right into your presence, God; provide me with the insight that comes only from your Word.’1
Our readings from Habakkuk have revealed the disastrous effects of forgetting and flouting God’s law. When human beings defy God’s directions for living, becoming ‘a law to themselves’,2 violence is unleashed and justice is perverted.3 In contrast, today’s passage begins and ends with this declaration: ‘I have not forgotten your law [commands]’ (vv. 153, 176). Between these bookends of remembrance lie confident affirmations about the blessings of hearing, honoring, and humbly obeying God’s law: peace (v. 165), understanding (v. 169), deliverance (v. 170), help (v. 173), delight (v. 174), and divine sustenance (v. 175).
Does ‘law’ evoke images of loveliness in our minds? Or are we more likely to associate ‘law’ with ‘legalism’ and ‘limitations’? Somehow, we tend to see laws – not just oppressive ones but even good laws – as restrictive and limiting, and such a perception warps our view of God’s law. The psalmist, however, loves God’s law and considers it lovely: it is given to preserve his life (vv. 154, 156, 159), not to spoil his fun. It is not a fence that hems him in but one that protects and safeguards peace (v. 165), not a burden to rebel against but a blessing to rejoice in (v. 162), not a drag but a delight (v. 174)! Yet, despite asserting how much he ‘loves’ God’s law (vv. 159, 163, 167), the psalmist closes with humble confession. Delving deep into God’s Word has made him keenly aware of his tendency to stray. Even in his lostness, however, it is this law that he has ‘not forgotten’ that nudges him back on track – like a goad or shepherd’s crook! – prompting a plea, ‘Seek your servant’ (v. 176).
Apply
‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.’4 What words from God’s Word will you carry into and throughout the year ahead?
Closing prayer
Lord God, thank you that your Son came to fulfill the law and make it possible for me to please you. Thank you for your Word that teaches me how to walk with you and for the joy-filled contentment that you give me as I learn and apply it.
1 Ps 119:169, The Message 2 Hab 1:7 3 Hab 1:2–4 4 Ps 119:11
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.