An aspiring musician heard a famous pianist perform. Afterward, the musician said to the maestro, “I would give my life to be able to play like you.” “Young man,” replied the maestro, “I already have.” 

Success requires more than good intentions, sincere desires, or noble aspirations. It requires steadfast determination. In family matters, educational pursuits, career development, athletic goals, and other life aims, there is no success without a determination to see it through and reach the goal. It is also the case for followers of Christ. A life devoted to God requires more than holy desires. It requires steadfast determination. 

Matthew 16:24 says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” A life of obedience cannot save you. But salvation produces a life of obedience that requires holy desire and holy determination. Warren Wiersbe wrote: “It has been well said that the greatest ability is dependability, and this especially applies to the Christian life. We want God to be faithful to us, so is it wrong for God to expect us to be faithful to him?”

This is the burden of the text. Throughout Psalm 119, the psalmist expresses his desire to learn and live the word of God. In this stanza, the psalmist marries desire to determination.

• Verse 106 says, “I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.”
• Verse 109b says, “I do not forget your law.”
• Verse 110 says, “I do not stray from your precepts.”
• Verse 112 says, “I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.”

 The psalmist had more than good intentions. He was determined to do whatever it took to live for God. Your commitment to scripture must go from desire to determination to live for God. What does it mean to be determined to live for God?

A Determination to Follow God’s Guidance

Verse 105 is arguably the most well-known and frequently quoted verse in Psalm 119: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Life is a journey. The path is dark. We need light to dispel darkness, provide direction, and reveal obstacles. The word of God is revelation and illumination. James Montgomery Boice wrote: “This fourteenth stanza speaks of the clarity of the word of God, but the Bible is not only clear itself; it is clarifying, which means that we see other things clearly by its light.”

• God’s word is a lamp for the feet at nighttime to see what step to take next. 
• God’s word is a light for our path in daytime to see what is down the road. 

The word of God will never lead you wrong. 

This verse does not guarantee God will give answers to all of life’s questions. Scripture does not provide turn-by-turn directions for every decision in life. It does post spiritual landmarks to ensure you are going in the right direction. John Phillips comments: “A light, no matter how bright, will not show us all the twists and turns ahead on the road, but it will give us a general sense of direction. That is what the Bible does. It lights the sinner’s path to Christ; it lights the believer’s path to glory.”

Proverbs 6:23 says, “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of disciple are the way of life.” The word of God will show you what is true, right, and best. But it will not do you any good if you go your own way. To benefit from the illumination scripture provides, follow the guidance of God’s word. Look to it. Learn it. Live it. This was the settled position of the psalmist in verse 106: “I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.”

Scripture warns of the gravity of making vows to God. Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.” The psalmist dared to make a vow to God. He was not irreverent. He was determined It was not enough to declare his intention to live for God. A much stronger commitment was called for.

The psalmist swore an oath to God. Then he confirmed the oath. He did not just tell God. He told others, so they could hold him accountable if he went astray. Does your determination to live for God look like this? Many close their letters with the words “Cordially” or “Sincerely.” There was a time when the standard close was, “Yours truly.” It was a way of affirming you meant what you wrote and would keep your word. This is not a bad way to end your prayers: “Yours truly.”

Queen Victoria received the Kohinoor diamond from a boy Maharajah. Years later, the Maharajah visited Queen Victoria and requested the stone be brought from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace. Kneeling before the queen, the maharajah presented the diamond and said, “Your Majesty, I gave you this jewel when I was a child, too young to know what I was doing. I want to give it to you again in the fullness of my strength, with all my heart and affection and gratitude, now and forever, fully realizing all that I do.” 

A Determination to Trust God’s Power

There are three prayer requests in verses 107-108. These petitions affirm that you can trust the word of God in every situation. 

Give God your burdens. In verse 106, the psalmist vows to follow God’s guidance Then verse 107 says, “I am severely afflicted, give me life, O Lord, according to your word.” Charles Spurgeon wrote: “In the previous verse the psalmist had been sworn in as a soldier of the Lord, and in this verse, he is called to suffer hardship in that capacity. The service of the Lord does not screen us from trial, but rather secures it for us.” There are many references to affliction in Psalm 119. Verse 107 is the first present tense reference: “I am severely afflicted.”

H. Beecher Hicks wrote Preaching Through a Storm, which chronicles a tumultuous season in his church and the sermons he preached. The final chapter is entitled “Storms Keep Coming.” It’s the truth. Come out of one storm, another is somewhere on the horizon. Affliction seized the psalmist again. We do not know the nature of it. But the verse states the intensity of it: “I am severely afflicted.” Living for God is not an unbroken succession of health, wealth, and happiness. There will be times…

• When there is affliction in your life
• When there is sorrow in your heart 
• When there is grief in your soul 
• When there are burdens on your shoulders 
• When there are tears in your eyes 

What do you do when severely afflicted? Pray. Verse 107 says, “I am severely afflicted, give me life, O Lord; according to your word.” The prayer, “Give me life,” gives a closer look at the severity of the affliction the psalmist suffered. He speaks as one who is at the point of death. He asked God to quicken, revive, and give him life. He trusted God’s word can put him on his feet again! Psalm 23:3 says, “He restores my soul.”The word of God can pick you up when affliction weighs you down.  

Give God your best. In verse 106, the psalmist is severely afflicted. Yet verse 107 says, “Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules.” Sincere praise transcends feelings. Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” 

The psalmist praised the Lord in his affliction. He was not compelled, pressured, or manipulated to praise. He offered a “freewill offering of praise.” The Old Testament prescribed offerings the children of Israel were duty-bound to present to God. But there were also offerings presented freely, willingly, and joyfully for forgiveness granted, blessings received, and deliverance accomplished. God is worthy of spontaneous, voluntary, and overflowing praise. Verse 108 is a statement of praise. At its core, it is a prayer request: “Accept my freewill offerings of praise.” Worship is about what God accepts, not what I offer. 

 In Genesis 4, Cain and Abel presented offerings to God. God accepted Abel’s offering. God did not accept Cain’s offering. This is how worship works. What is acceptable worship? Verse 108 says, “Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules.” James Boice wrote: “In verse 108 the psalmist speaks of two things that go together: praising God with his mouth and being taught God’s law. These belong together because they are what right worship and the practice of true religion are all about.”The priest who makes a freewill offering of praise becomes a pupil who asks God to teach him. 

• The word of God and worship of God go together. 
• We know what pleases God in worship by scripture. 
• To go high in praise, you must go deep in truth. 

A Determination to Obey God’s Wisdom

In verses 109-110, the psalmist’s troubles shift from internal to external. Yet he was determined to obey God’s wisdom. 

Do not forget God’s word. Verse 109 says, “I hold my life in my hand continually.” This Hebrew idiom speaks of being in great constant danger. It is the picture is a man on a journey carrying a great treasure. He is in jeopardy, as thieves and robbers wait for an opportunity to attack and rob him. This was the situation the psalmist faced. He might be killed. He held his life in his hands. 1 Corinthians 15:31 says, “I die every day.” Paul recognized that every morning he woke up to do God’s will could result in him being killed by the end of the day. Likewise, the psalmist says, “I hold my life in my hand continually.”

In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, the 5-talent guy and the 2-talent guy took the money their master entrusted to them and doubled it. Upon his return, he said to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The 1-talent guy hid his money in the dirt. When he presented it to his master, he expected a commendation. The master called him wicked and lazy. God has taken a risk in dealing with us. And God expects a return on his investment. Take a risk for God! Verse 109 says: “I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law.” His life is in his hands. But he was in God’s hands. W. Graham Scroggie wrote, “The man who carries his life in his hand, should carry the law in his heart.”

Do not stray from God’s word. Psalm 119:85 says, “The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law.”Verse 110 says, “The wicked have laid a snare for me.” The picture is of a hunter who carefully lays a trap for his prey and patiently waits for the animal to fall victim to his snare. The wicked laid a snare for the psalmist. Yet he did not allow wicked opposition to change his priorities. Some of us do. We become more concerned about avoiding the traps than obeying the Lord. The psalmist shows us a more excellent way: “The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts.”

You do not have to spend your life worrying about what your enemies are doing – be it ungodly people or spiritual forces that oppose your devotion to the Lord. Continue to follow the word of God, and God will give the victory. Matthew 4:1-11 records the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The devil laid snares for him. But the Lord did not stray away from the precepts of God’s word. In response to satanic solicitations, Jesus threw three words in the devil’s face: It is written!

• Verse 107 says God’s word can put you back on your feet when you are severely afflicted. 
• Verse 110 says God’s word can keep you on your feet when the wicked lay a snare for you. 

A Determination to Enjoy God’s Reward 

Verse 111 says, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.” Imagine sitting in a lawyer’s office, listening to the reading of the will of a rich, distant relative. You discover you have been left millions of dollars as an inheritance. This is how the psalmist felt about the word of God. God’s word was his heritage. 

• Living by the Book brings rewards.
• Living by the Book is a reward. 

It was a heritage worth more than anything the world could offer because of its unchanging nature and eternal duration. The psalmist says, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever.” An inheritance of material possessions can be lost. Ask The Prodigal Son. The word of God is our heritage forever. Isaiah 40:8 says: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

A man owned a vineyard. On his deathbed, he told slothful his sons the secret of his wealth was in the vineyard. The boys began to dig, hoping to find a hidden treasure, careful not to damage the vines. They searched every inch but discovered nothing. That fall, the vineyard produced a bumper crop. They realized the secret of their father’s wealth was the vines that, properly cared for, would keep them rich. 

 The word of God is a heritage forever. But you must learn it and live it to enjoy its riches. Verse 111 says, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.”

Consider the multiple possessives in this stanza: 

• Verse 105: “my feet” and “my path”
• Verse 108: “my freewill offerings”
• Verse 109: “my life” and “my hand” 
• Verse 111: “my heritage forever”
• Verses 111-112: “my heart”

Verse 112 says, “I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.” “Incline” means to “bend or turn toward.” Verse 36 says, “Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!” Here the psalmist does not ask God to incline his heart. He says, “I incline my heart to perform your statutes.” 

This is not self-confidence. Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” The psalmist was not declaring his ability to change his own heart. He was stating his determination to live for God. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” The psalmist was determined to live for God. And his determination was steadfast: “I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.”