Lifting Up My Hands: Psalm 119:41-48

This has nothing to do with today's passage, but I've been starting to follow several other blogs lately (see the sidebar), and been thoroughly disenchanted with my own writing.  Compared to others, I am neither witty nor wise nor thoughtful even very interesting.  But then I remembered that I'm really doing this for me, and perhaps one or two other people will benefit from my ramblings.  (Although, I admit, it would be nice to know that people are reading what I write!)

Anyway, here is today's passage:

41 May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;

42 then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

43 Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.

44 I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.

45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

46 I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,

47 for I delight in your commands because I love them.

48 I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.

My study notes have a nice, concise summary of the passage: "May the Lord deliver me and not take his truth from my mouth; then I will honor his law in my life and speak of it before kings, for I love his commands."

Hm.  I'm just thinking about this, and wondering how much God's truth is even in my mouth.  How much do I speak of God's love, power, forgiveness?  I had opportunity to speak a word of forgiveness last night to someone who thought she'd never have it.  I praise and thank God for that opportunity; it doesn't happen very often.  But what about to myself?  How often do I speak God's word of truth to myself?  Isn't that as important as speaking it to others?

God loves me.  God forgives me, no matter what.  I need not be afraid of anything and I need not be ashamed.  Christ has given himself for me and has erased all of my sins.

And you know what?  You unknown reader, if you even exist: God has done the same for you.  Completely without any help from you, he has saved you from the power of sin, death and Satan.  He LOVES YOU!!  Just because he made you.  Because he is merciful, gracious and loving.  Because he is God, and God is love.

Knowing all that God has done for me, I can do no less than to forgive others (as it says in the Lord's Prayer), and praise God in every aspect of my life.  I don't normally do a very good job of that: but thank God for his forgiveness!  (A lovely circle, isn't it?)  Verse 48 speaks to this.  Lifting up one's hands is a gesture of praise.  We lift up our hands- we praise- God for his commands, which we can love because they are good.  We can lift our hands, literally or figuratively, all day long for what God has done for us.  I wonder how my life would change if I were to have the mindset of praise all the time?

Today, I am going to lift up my hands to God for his laws and his love.