A Look at Psalm 119:32

Psalm 119:32 “I run in the path of Your commands for You have set my heart free.”
 

In the previous verse, we saw David holding fast to the statutes of God.

A person of strong conviction will ultimately experience some type of persecution their life. Persecution is like a prison. When you are persecuted, you feel separated from the rest of the world. If anyone understood this, David did. More than once, David found himself imprisoned (figuratively imprisoned) because of his convictions. But, because he would not violate God's statutes, he found his life being directed by those persecuting him. David’s convictions would not allow him to harm King Saul, even though Saul, while in his pursuit, would readily have taken David’s life.

Because David honored God, his life became subject to the whims of others. However, David discovered the secret of being set free, in the midst of his prison. He learned that God can enlarge a heart; He can set it free. David had freedom because God had enlarged his heart.
 

As a father, I never take pleasure in seeing one of my kids suffer (even as adults); but when one of them does, I draw them near to them in a special way. Here is an account from one of my friends who has just one child. He said, “When my son was little, he was afraid of the dark. When he would go to bed he would crawl under the covers and hide. The bed became a prison for him. If I happened to enter the room, suddenly, he had all kinds of freedom. He was free to get out of bed and actually look under his bed or go into his scary closet. My presence set his little heart free.”   

That is exactly how God sets our hearts free! If, through obedience to God, we have come into some type of prison or persecution, God draws near to us in a way that we cannot experience through any other means. This sets us free in the midst of our prison. We are then able to literally run in obedience to Him.
 

Take some time to meditate on this verse. As you do, consider the freedom you will find when God sets your heart free. 

Continued