God's Word and Way - The Wesleyan Church

Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. (Ps. 119:175)

I was enjoying a lovely and leisurely dinner with a ninety-year-old woman when she said something that impacted me deeply: “Let me tell you what God has been teaching me this year.” She went on to share with me the work God had been doing in her life and all that she was learning and applying. But what struck me the most was the fact that God is never done teaching us, whether we are nine or ninety. Here was a woman living every day out of the overflow of her relationship with Jesus: listening, learning, and applying God’s Word and way to her daily life.

Psalm 119, the longest psalm, is a carefully constructed prayer to God that sings the praises of his Word and reflects on the impact it has upon those who live it out. It is a love poem to God and his steadfastness. Nearly every stanza points to God’s law and how we are to live by it. As this psalm comes to a close, however, we are reminded that we can’t follow his law on our own; we need God’s help. Jesus is that help. He is the living Word, the truth, the fulfillment of the law. He is our salvation, our shepherd, and sustainer. When we know this Jesus, our lives begin to overflow with praise, each and every day of our lives.

Tell someone what God has been teaching you.

Jenn Petersen is president & CEO for World Hope International. She is also cofounder and copastor of Resurrection Life NYC, a Wesleyan church in Manhattan.

God’s Word and Way