Notice the personal pronouns when the psalmist talks about his relationship with God.
(1) You shall enlarge my heart (32) Moffatt paraphrases this verse, "I will obey thee eagerly as thou dost open up my life.
" The Maker of your heart knows how to enlarge your desire for Him.
(2) You have caused me to hope (49) We hope because of God and God does not disappoint.
The good news of salvation runs throughout this psalm.
The men of faith in the Old Testament were saved by grace through faith.
God's word in the Old Testament prophesied of God's salvation through the coming Messiah.
His word in the New Testament recorded that salvation obtained through the miraculous birth, sinless life, sacrificial death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As the men of old believed God would deliver what He promised, men today look back upon that accomplished fact in history.
The Son of God gives all believers "the hope of glory.
" The hope the Psalmist had and the hope Abraham had is the same hope that we have.
Eight times this psalmist mentions hope.
"Lord, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments (v.
166).
(3) You are my portion (57) In Psalm 142:5, David said, "I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
" Before a follower of Christ enters eternity through death, while still living on the earth (the land of the living), he is constantly in need of help from God.
He needs His protection (refuge) and he needs His guidance.
At one point in our ministry, Satan's attacks upon our family were so strong I nearly despaired.
The verse God gave me during that time was Psalm 27:13, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
" He did get us through it and I did once more become aware of the goodness of God.
Had He not been "my portion" during that time, Satan would have won.
If God is your portion in this life, you have all you need.
God is more than enough.
In heaven, I will not need refuge.
Temptation, trials and despair will be no more.
However, while we are still here in the land of the living, He must be our portion.
Nothing else will do.
(4) Your hands have made me and fashioned me (73) Man was God's special creation.
From the dust of the ground God formed man and breathed life into his nostrils.
He is also active in the formation of every soul who has ever lived.
God made you, established a plan for your life and is molding you in the image of His Son.
(5) You have given me life (93) "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12).
Until one is born of the Spirit, he is the walking dead.
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned - (Romans 5:12)...
"so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:21).
When sin entered the world, the devil told Eve, "You will not surely die.
" He lied.
Death entered the world with that first sin.
All men die once, but for those who do not accept Christ as Savior, there will be a second death ane the last enemy destroyed by God will be death itself.
(6) You Yourself have taught me (102) It is impossible to get more personal than "You Yourself.
" "You" is emphatic.
God is the One who opens his eyes for him to see the benefit of His ways.
One of the disciple's prayers is in verse 18: "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
" Many times he asked the Lord to teach him.
In this verse near the end of the psalm, we see the answer to his prayer.
(7) You are near (151) Many people think God is distant and unapproachable.
This disciple knows differently.
God is near - as close as his thoughts, his heart and his breath.
His presence makes all the difference.