Psalm 116- Walk with God

 Psalm 116- Walk with God

Psalms 116:5-9 (NASB95) 

5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate. 6 The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He savedme. 7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling. 9 I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living.

Walking with God. That is a common metaphor in the Bible. As I contemplate Psalm 116 today, walking with God seems to refer to old age in many cases. In this psalm, they use the phrase “rescued… my feet from stumbling”. I can increasingly appreciate that sentiment as I get older. Just walking without falling becomes more of a blessing when it becomes harder to do! Anyway, consider some other scriptures about walking.

Proverbs 10:9 (NASB95) 

He who walks in integrity walkssecurely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out.

Genesis 17:1 (NASB95)

1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.

1 Kings 8:25 (NASB95)

25 “Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, ‘You shallnot lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.’

Luke 1:6,75 (NASB95) - Zacharias and Elizabeth

6 Theywere both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

Abraham, King David and Zacharias all walked with God until they were old. Walking is more associated with old people. Running is for the young. For instance, it is said of my oldest child that she never learned to walk… she just stood up one day and started to run,,, and hasn’t stopped since! (Except when she was in the water, and then she swam fast.) but now, back to our regularly scheduled broadcast…

In scripture, walking with God also implies walking blamelessly and walking in righteousness. The Apostles Paul exported the Colossians to walk in a worthy manner.

Colossians 1:10 (NASB95)

so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledgeof God;

And in his letters to the Corinthians and Galatians, he tells us how to walk blamelessly.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB95)

forwe walk by faith, not by sight--

Galatians5:16 (NASB95)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

Walking by faith, in the Spirit is the key. The way to walk in the way that we should go is to constantly have an ear, tuned to the voice of the Spirit, who teaches us and guides our feet in the ways of righteousness. One other thing is key… what we look at.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB95) 

1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easilyentangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

To walk straight, we need to have a goal. The Christian walk depends on fixing our eyes on Jesus, and walking directly towards Him. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, even into our later years. If we continue in that way, then we can end our days in blessing, just as the psalmist says as he confuse to describe his walk, even to the end of his days.

Psalms 116:12-15 (NASB95) 

12What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me? 13 I shall lift up the cup of salvation And call upon the name of the LORD. 14 I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people. 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.

Amen