One of the things that I've struggled with all of my life is being directionally challenged. Those of you who know me well know that that is an absolute truth. I have absolutely no sense of direction. None. None. I've been known to actually get lost driving in my own neighborhood. That is not an exaggeration. Years ago, when I was a student at the Moody Bible Institute, I was responsible for bringing a well-known Bible teacher to the school at night for a conference which is beamed out through radio to literally all the world, and I got him lost. They were building at Moody, and we're in a hard-hat area. I have no idea where we are, and the school administrators rescued him from this lowly freshman. I couldn't find my way to the right building. I even managed to get lost running on a trail in the Atlanta suburbs. So, needless to say, in the past, I've spent a great deal of time and energy trying to get where I need to be. And so, because of this great infirmity of being directionally challenged, a number of years ago, my children chipped in and bought me a Garmin GPS for my car, a global positioning system, which is just a fancy name for a navigating device. Now, you should know at first I was a little concerned because I was afraid that the little voice in the machine was going to yell at me when I didn't listen and follow her directions, but I'm happy to tell you she does not yell at me because I put her on mute. No, but she does not yell at me. She just recalculates a lot when I... drive. But now, you may not be directionally challenged as I am, but all of us need guidance and direction when it comes to life. Life with all of its many different and sometimes very difficult situations that we find ourselves in. We need help in making wise decisions, wise choices on a daily basis. And the good news is that God has provided direction for us through his word The Bible. He gives us guidance. And we know this to be the case because of what we read in the verses before us this morning in our study of Psalm 119. I want to read it again to you so that you'll have it more fixed in your mind. I just read it, I know, but let me read it again to you. Starting at verse 105, we read, Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path. I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep your righteous ordinances. I am exceedingly afflicted. Revive me, O Lord, according to your word. Oh, accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances. My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not gone astray from your precepts. I have inherited your testimonies forever. for they are the joy of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform your statutes forever, even to the end." Now, as you can see, from the opening verse of this stanza, we learn that God guides us by his word. When the psalmist says, your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path, he's speaking about guidance. And what he means by these words is that God's word functions like a lamp. functions in the darkness of night, in that it provides light so that we can see where we're stepping. We would probably use a word like flashlight today or torch, but he spoke of a lamp. In other words, he's saying God's Word enlightens our path so that we know where to walk. God's Word gives guidance, direction to our steps. It shows us how to keep from stumbling as we travel through the darkness of this sinful world. Concerning the psalmist's words about scripture being a lamp to our feet, none other than the great Charles Spurgeon said these words. He said, having no fixed lamps in eastern towns, in old time each passenger carried a lantern with him that he might not fall into the open sewer or stumble over the heaps of dung which defiled the road. This is a true picture of our path through this dark world. We should not know the way or how to walk in it if scripture, like a blazing torch, did not reveal it. One of the most practical benefits of holy writ is guidance in the acts of daily life. It is not sent, he says, to astound us with its brilliance, but to guide us by its instruction. It is true the head needs illumination, but even more the feet need direction, else head and feet may both fall into a ditch. You see, without the light of the Word, we wouldn't know what to do. We wouldn't know how to walk, meaning we wouldn't know how to conduct ourselves. We wouldn't know how to navigate our way through life, because the world that we live in is steeped in darkness and error. Why? Because it has rejected the truth of God as Creator. That's what Romans chapter 1 says. It has rejected the truth of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. And it has rejected the truth of the Bible as the written revelation of God. And in rejecting God and His truth, the world doesn't move into neutral. The Bible says the world now walks in the darkness of its own foolish and erroneous speculations. You can read that all at the end of Romans chapter 1. When man turns from the light, he moves into darkness. He becomes a silly philosopher. His own opinion is the authority of the day. This is why Jesus so often spoke of the world in terms of darkness. For example, in John chapter 3, verse 19, Jesus said, this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and he's the light, and men love the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. John 8, 12, Jesus said this, I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life. Our Lord said the same thing or similar words in John 12 verse 46, I have come as light into the world so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. And later on the Apostle Paul added to this truth about the world lying in the darkness of falsehood when he said such things as, for example, in Colossians 1.13, for he rescued us, meaning Christ rescued us, from the domain of darkness, meaning Satan's kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, and he transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. In Ephesians 6, Paul refers to Satan and his host of demons as, and I quote, the world forces of this darkness, the spiritual forces of wickedness, And speaking of his own conversion in Acts chapter 26, Paul said that Jesus gave him the ministry of preaching the gospel in order to do this, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God. So, we put all this together and we say this, to follow Jesus Christ then is to follow him as the light in a dark world, to follow him is to follow one who enlightens our steps, by giving us guidance from his word. And folks, that is the point that the writer of Psalm 119 is making in this stanza, when he says in the opening line of this being the 14th stanza, that God's word is a lamp unto his feet and a light to his path. His message to us is this, as a lonely Jewish exile, it would appear he is an exile in Babylon, living in the midst of dark paganism, surrounded by men in high places who hate him for his faith, who threaten to kill him. It was the Word of God that gave him the clear direction that he needed. And it gave him this by teaching him how to live under some extremely adverse circumstances. And that's really what this particular stanza in Psalm 119 is about. It seems that every stanza has its unique theme, but it all goes back to the importance of the Word of God in the life of a believer. So, this stanza is about the Word of God guiding us, especially during difficult times. See, what the psalmist does is open the stanza by just giving us a very broad statement, a very general And the principle is that God's word is like a light that gives him guidance. And then, note this, this is what he does after giving us the broad principle, he narrows it down by giving us some very specific areas in life in which the Lord gives clear guidance, especially in the context of suffering. And that's what's so interesting about each of these areas that he tells us that God gives him guidance. They all have to do with guidance on how to live when you're suffering. in the setting and context of suffering. See, this man doesn't say that the word specifically directed him on such issues as who should he marry, or where should he go to school, or what should his vocation in life be, what city should he live in. I say that because those are the kinds of issues that so many people today want to know. But that's not what the psalmist is concerned about at all. His concern was, how should I live? How should I walk in a way that pleases God in the midst of my deep suffering and affliction? You see, he needs guidance for a holy living in a very unholy environment. Folks, the Bible will do the same thing for you. For me, it will give us light on how we should live, how we should behave while we navigate our way through a very, very dark world. See, all of us need to be very careful when it comes to this matter of God's guidance because there are a lot of goofy views out there about how do you know the will of God? How do you determine it for your life? Many Christians are utterly confused because they expect the Bible to give them detailed instructions on those types of issues that I just mentioned. Who should you marry? Where do you go to college? What job should you take? But the Bible doesn't tell us stuff like that. It doesn't tell us about those things. Instead, it emphasizes the kind of godly character we should have, and then it gives us principles to govern our thinking and making the right choices concerning those issues that I mentioned and many other issues. So don't expect to find a specific name in scripture of the person God wants you to marry, or the name of a city where God wants you to live, because that is not the way God gives His guidance. I say that because there are some people who do think that divine guidance is so exact, so detailed, so specific, that they expect the Bible to actually mention their own name in relation to God's will for their life. Why do I say that? Because I read about it this week in his commentary on the Psalms. And when I first read this, I'm going to tell you, I thought it was a joke. I've read it over, and I don't think it's a joke. He's not saying this in the context of anything that's funny. But in his commentary on the Psalms, Bible teacher John Phillips tells the story of two individuals who were absolutely convinced that God used their names, their actual names, in Scripture to give them guidance. Here's what he writes. As I said, I don't think he's kidding because he mentioned some personal things in here. He said, some years ago in England, there lived a man named Goodman, a well-known servant of the Lord. He told of an incident in his life when he was seeking guidance from the Lord as to whether or not he should undertake a certain journey. He opened his Bible and his eyes fell on the words, the steps of a good man. are ordered of the Lord. So he read his own name, Goodman, into the text, assured that he was to go ahead with his trip. Now, I'm not making this up. It gets better. He continues, and this is why I know this is not something he made up to try to be funny, because he says, my father knew of a woman who was much troubled about the lost state of her soul, but somehow, no matter how many preachers she went to hear, she couldn't believe that the message of salvation was for her. Her name was Edith. One day she was taken to hear a preacher who had a slight speech impediment. He recited the text, this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. The way he pronounced it, it sounded as though the text read, this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. E-D-I-T-H. The woman heard her name and her doubts dissolved. Good for her. But listen, listen. We may laugh and we do laugh at these two individuals who thought God was giving them guidance by their own names, but I can assure you that many Christians may not have that particular view, but they have similar silly approaches in trying to determine God's will for their life. There is an old story, and actually it's based on a popular approach. If you look back, In history, at the early Methodists, the Wesley's, John and Charles Wesley, this is how they often tried to determine God's will. They would open the Bible and wherever their eyes fell, that was God's will. In fact, I spoke to a friend this week, some of you know Phil Johnson, who was raised in a Methodist church and said, oh yeah, that's what I did before I was converted. But listen, one approach, as I said, just open your Bible wherever your eyes Fall, that's God's will for you. So the story is told about one man who did that, and his eyes fell on the verse, Judas hung himself. Well, that wasn't what he wanted to hear, so he thought he'd try it again. He did it again, his eyes fell on the verse, go and do likewise. Well, that wasn't what he wanted to hear either, so he tried again, his eyes fell on the verse, whatever you do, do quickly. So, you have to be careful about this. That is not the way to determine God's will for you. How do you determine it? Well, he gives us truths, principles in scripture that light our paths so that we know how to live godly in a world that is under the domain of the prince of darkness. This morning as we begin to work our way through, We're going to look at several areas of life that the psalmist mentions where God did give him clear direction and guidance. And I want you to know his purpose in doing this and telling us about these particular areas of life where God directed him during his time of suffering. He did this, he wrote about this so that you and I, reading years later, would know how to navigate our way in a sin-darkened world even as we are forced to endure suffering. It may not be exactly like his suffering was, but all of us suffer at times. And the first area of guidance the psalmist mentions concerns our general conduct as he tells us that God's Word guides us in righteous living. Verse 106 says this, I have sworn, and I will confirm it, that I will keep your righteous ordinances. Now, throughout this psalm, this man has made it abundantly clear that he's a man who pursues godliness. He's a man who seeks to obey the Word of God. There is no question about that. But I want you to notice that here in this verse, he tells us that his commitment to obedience is so strong so resolute that he has actually taken an oath. That's what he means. I have sworn. He's taken an oath. What does that mean? It means that he's made a pledge. It means that he's made a promise to God. It's a vow to God that he will keep the righteous ordinances of his word. He's made a specific promise. In other words, in the strongest words possible, an oath, he is expressing to God how determined he is to obey his word. But I want you to notice something else, something I think that's very special about this oath that he made to God. Notice that he not only says, I have sworn, but then he adds these words, and I will confirm it. Now what does he mean by this? I will confirm it. He means, I have not only promised you, Lord, that I will obey your word, but I want you to know that I will keep my promise to you. Now that's rather significant, and it's refreshing. Because lots of people have made promises to the Lord when they are in desperate situations and they never keep them. They're empty promises. Lord, if you get me out of this predicament, I promise I will never do this again, I promise I will live for you, I promise to give you my life, and on and on it goes. But these are usually empty promises given in a moment of frantic panic, and these promises usually don't amount to anything once deliverance has come. However, this was not the case with the psalmist. even though he himself was in a desperate situation. See, what he's saying to the Lord is that he has made a vow, a promise to obey Him, and he intends to keep that promise. No matter what happens, no matter how bad it gets, no matter what his circumstances turn out to be, no matter what today or tomorrow brings, his commitment is to live righteously by obeying the righteous ordinances of the Word of God. Folks, that's the kind of commitment to righteous living that every believer in Jesus Christ ought to have, and must have, or you will not live righteously. Not if you just intend to, but there's nothing more than that. See, the reason you have to make this type of commitment and constantly renew it is because holy living is a battle we face every day. It doesn't come easy. It's a battle. And why is it a battle? Well, due to the weakness of our flesh, due to the strength of temptation that we face every day, due to the power of the devil to tempt us. Puritan Stephen Charnock, in commenting on this verse from Psalm 119, wrote these words, Frequently renew settled and holy resolutions. A soldier unresolved to fight may easily be defeated. The weakness of our graces, the strength of our temptations, and the diligence of our spiritual enemies require strong resolutions." He's absolutely right. Listen, the pull of our flesh is so strong, and the devil is so cunning, and the world so dark that if you don't have this type of commitment to obey the Word of God, you will fall in the day of battle, especially when you're suffering. This is precisely why the Apostle Paul, in Ephesians chapter 6, takes a huge chunk of that chapter and devotes it to teaching us about spiritual warfare. He tells us that we need to be dressed for battle. Now it's interesting, when Paul wrote this, he was in prison, chained to a Roman soldier. Some have speculated that as Paul was chained to the soldier, he was looking at the Roman soldier and writing down the armor and the weaponry and how this man was dressed for battle and applying it to spiritual truth. And his point is this, You're going to be in battle, you better be dressed for battle, so that when it comes, you don't fall. And we don't have time to look at all of Ephesians 6, there are messages on this. And in our evening service, eventually we will get to Ephesians 6. Again, but listen to just this, because what I want you to see is that much of what Paul is talking about is righteous living is your best armor for fighting Satan. Righteous daily living. He writes, finally, starting in verse 10, finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God. Notice the full armor of God. Don't leave yourself vulnerable in any place. So that you'll be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood. He's saying it's not against people. but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up, once again, the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand in the evil day. What is the evil day? Any day that evil is faced by you. I don't think it's one particular day, any day that you're in battle. And having done everything to stand firm, the attacks are coming. Stand firm. He says, stand firm, therefore having girded your loins with truth. That's the truth of the Word of God. And then he says, having put on the breastplate of righteousness. That's not Christ's righteousness applied to us, that's personal daily righteousness. That's the best way to keep ourselves strong in the Lord. But listen here, once you have this commitment to righteous living by being dressed for battle, then what do you do? In other words, how do you know what righteous living actually is? How do you know the way God wants you to behave? How do you know what's right and wrong? Especially when you live in a culture like ours that is just so baffled by the obvious. Baffled by the obvious that they don't even acknowledge that there is a right and a wrong. I hope you know that, that that's our culture. We live in what's known as a post-modern world where there is no right or wrong. Whatever you think is right, that's right for you. That's the view of our culture. Someone I heard recently put it this way, said, this world is so confused that it doesn't even know who's a man and who's a woman. I mean, that kind of says it all. It's just sort of obvious, but the world doesn't see it that way. That's confusion due to a darkened mind. Our culture these days, does not live by standards that cultures in the past live by. Our culture lives by the rule that there are no rules. There are no standards of right or wrong. So whatever you want to do or believe, as I said, that's right for you. Because there is no absolute truth or standard of what's right and wrong. Folks, that is the philosophy, as I said, of what's known as a postmodern worldview. When every man does what's right in his own eyes, because there is nothing that is considered wrong or off limits. So, once again, I come back to this question. How can you know what righteous living is? How can you know what's right and what's wrong in a world like this? The answer. is that God has given us guidance in his word on righteous living by spelling out what's right and wrong in his word. That's why the psalmist calls the word the righteous ordinances or righteous rules. Listen, it is true that God has given each of us a conscience. That's an internal moral monitor so that even without the Bible, we know in our hearts that certain behavior is wrong. We know that murder is wrong, stealing is wrong, lying is wrong, and issues like that. But while our conscience tells us when we are guilty of wrongdoing, it doesn't give us specific guidance on positive, righteous living. The things that we ought to be doing tells us when we've done something wrong, and we feel guilt over that, unless you have calloused your conscience, Therefore, we need the Word of God to tell us how to conduct ourselves in a righteous manner, a manner that is right because God says that it's right. It's exactly what the Bible does. In 2 Timothy 3.16, Paul says that the Scriptures are profitable for training us in righteousness. Let me give you an example, several examples of how this works. If you'll turn to Ephesians chapter 4, you're going to see that Paul explains that once you are a Christian, that you need to put off certain behavior, baggage that you brought into the Christian life. You put that stuff off and you put on righteous, godly behavior. That's just sanctification. That's how we grow. So he's explaining that godly living is not simply a matter of refraining from wrongdoing, but it involves putting on positive, righteous behavior. So, for example, in Ephesians 4, verse 25 we read, Therefore laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for we're members of one another. Now your conscience will tell you that it's wrong to lie, but that's really all it'll tell you. Only scripture tells you that you must be committed to speaking the truth, to honesty, to transparency, to openness. You're not going to get that from your conscience. You get that from scripture. Again, Ephesians 4 verse 28, he who steals must steal no longer. but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Now, your conscience will tell you that it's wrong to steal. I remember when I was a young boy, before I ever knew Christ, I was in a store, took a baseball, was going to walk out, and I'm telling you, I didn't know the Bible, I didn't have anybody with me, but my conscience just smoked me. I went back, and put it back. I wish I could say I always obeyed my conscience, but I didn't always obey it. In that case, I did because I felt so bad. So your conscience is going to tell you that it's wrong to steal. But only scripture will tell you that you need to work hard. And you need to work hard so that not only do you provide for yourself and your family, you need to work hard enough so that you earn enough money to be generous to others who are in need. Let me read this again. That's exactly what Paul is saying in Ephesians 4, 28. He who steals must steal no longer. That's wonderful. Stop stealing. But rather, here's what you do. Here's righteous behavior. He must labor, work hard, performing with his own hands what's good so that He'll have something to share with one who has need. That's righteous behavior. And you'd only learn that from the Word of God. You wouldn't come up with that on your own. Another example, Ephesians 4, verses 31 and 32. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice. Now your conscience will tell you that it's wrong to have hatred in your heart towards other people and all these bad attitudes that go along with it. But your conscience isn't going to tell you what verse 32 tells you. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you. That's righteous behavior. And you're only going to get that from the Word of God. Only Scripture is going to tell you be kind, and tender, and humble, and meek. And don't hold a grudge, but forgive as you've been forgiven. That means unconditional forgiveness. See, only in the Bible will you find guidance on right living. Because only in the Bible has God revealed His righteous ordinances. So, if you want to know God's will for your life, His will is that you be godly and holy. And His word gives you the light that you need to walk righteously in a world filled with darkness. But like the psalmist, you have to be committed. to obeying righteous ordinances. And I would encourage you to do what this man did, make a promise to the Lord. If you're struggling in some area and you need some extra incentive, make a promise to the Lord and keep it. It will give you that much more resolve to make the right choices so that you form the right habits. Habits are formed by making a series of right choices and it takes time. And so, the first area of guidance that the psalmist mentions is the area of our general conduct, because the Word of God, he tells us, gives us guidance in righteous living. As he continues in this stanza, he gives us a second area where the Word of God gives us guidance. It's in the area of suffering, our suffering, as he tells us that God's Word guides us in how to deal with affliction. Notice verse 107. He writes, I am exceedingly afflicted. Revive me, O Lord, according to your word. Now, we know from everything that we have studied up to this point in this psalm that its author suffered greatly. We've gone over this many times, so I don't need to go over all the details, except to remind you that men of influence, he calls princes, had taken an intense dislike to him so that they mocked him for his faith, They slandered him by lying about him. They even were threatening to murder him. And it left him crushed. It left him at times an emotional mess. Let me just read to you verses 25 and then 28. He said, My soul cleaves to the dust. Revive me according to your word. And verse 28, My soul weeps because of grief. Strengthen me according to your word. So this man was down, this man had been up and down, he had been what we would call depressed, downcast. And here in verse 107, he states very clearly that not only is he exceedingly afflicted, not just afflicted, he's exceedingly afflicted, but because of his affliction, he is in great need of being encouraged, internally strengthened. He has allowed his circumstances to get him down and depressed. That's why he asked the Lord to revive him. Notice he says, Revive me, O Lord. And as we've noted on several occasions, because this word revive has come up, what he means by revive is that the Lord would encourage him, that the Lord would lift his disheartened spirit, that the Lord would renew his breaking heart, that he would infuse courage and comfort and strength and fortitude into his suffering soul. He is down. and he wants some encouragement. See, what this man really needs from the Lord right now is help. He needs help to keep going when he feels like giving up. He's been under such intense attacks from these unbelievers that he's just weak, and he's discouraged, and he's in need of God's strengthening encouragement. That's exactly the same thing that we need when we endure great affliction. It may not be the same exact affliction that this man was going through, but all suffering, no matter what form it takes, it's tough. I don't have to convince you of that. Suffering is tough. And that's why, like this man, we need God to strengthen and encourage us by reviving us. So how does He do this? How does He revive us? Well, the way he does this, note this, it's by his Word. Notice once again this verse. He prayed, Revive me, O Lord, according to your Word. In other words, this man knows that in God's Word is where he will find reviving for his weak and hurting heart. He knows this because it's in the truths of the Word where the Lord guides us out of depression. See, God has given us so many wonderful truths in his word that are designed by nature to encourage us when we're down. That's the design that God has put in these words. That's the intent, the purpose when we're down. Truths, for example, like the promise of his ongoing presence. When he said, I'll never leave you or forsake you. Now think about that. When you are suffering, when you're in a hospital bed, when you are financially ruined, when you are down to think that God is with you there, He will never forsake you, He will never leave you. When you're being told that you have cancer, He's there. He gives us in his word truths like the promise of his enabling strength when we're weak. When he told us through the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter 4, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Meaning in whatever circumstances I'm in, the Lord is there strengthening me. That's why he says I'm content. That, by the way, is the secret of contentment. That Christ will give me the enabling strength no matter what my circumstances are. Truths like the promise of His provision for all of our needs. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Think about that when you're struggling. Truths like the promise of His comfort and protection like this. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me. promises that He's using all of your suffering to produce godly character in you, like all things work together for good to those who love God. All things work together for good to those who love Him. And like this verse, the testing of your faith produces endurance, from James chapter 1. Your suffering is not in vain. Listen, God has provided guidance to encourage you when you are suffering, and you're feeling down and discouraged, But you have to seek the Word. You have to take His guidance and His encouragement by turning to the Word of God and intelligently opening it up. Don't just open up a passage and wherever your eyes fall. You have to receive the Word. Look in the context and apply the truth to your life. Suffering is not the time to withdraw into a world of self-pity. It's not the time to withdraw from other Christians. It's not the time to withdraw from attending church or a home fellowship or a Sunday school. Class, and it's certainly not the time to withdraw from reading your Bible. No matter how you feel, like the psalmist, let the Word guide you out of your depression by reviving your heart through its wonderful truths and promises. Now, so far, this man has told us of two areas of life where God guides us through His Word. Number one, it's in the area of our conduct. He guides us in righteous living. Number two, it's in the area of suffering. He guides us in dealing with affliction, especially affliction that depresses us. And number three, now he tells us that Scripture guides us in the area of our worship by directing us on how to worship God when we are in pain. Listen, anybody can say praise the Lord when things are going well. What about when they're not going well? Well, verse 108 says this, Oh, accept the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances. Even as this man is enduring great pain in his own life from all of his hostile enemies, notice this does not prevent him from worshiping God. He tells us that his prayer to the Lord is for him to accept the freewill offerings of his mouth. So what does he mean by this? This is unique terminology to us, the freewill offerings of my mouth. Well, in speaking of the freewill offerings, he's using the language of an Old Testament Jewish worshiper. See, part of the way that Israel was instructed to worship the Lord was by bringing him certain gifts in the form of animal sacrifices and food offerings. Those offerings then that went beyond the required sacrifices, there were many that were required, but not all. Those offerings that went beyond the required sacrifices, those were called free will offerings. Because they were given, just like it says, freely, willingly, voluntarily. And they were given with great generosity and out of great love and gratitude to the Lord for all of his blessings. However, the psalmist isn't offering to God any animal or food sacrifices. Instead, notice he says his free will offerings are the praises of his mouth. He says, oh accept the free will offerings of my mouth, oh Lord. Now isn't this interesting because here's a man who is going through intense suffering and pain. And all of it, I would remind you, all of it, as a result of his faith in the Lord, his faith in the Word of God, he's being persecuted. And yet notice, he isn't bitter at God, he isn't angry at God for letting him suffer so much, he isn't upset with the Lord because he hasn't intervened and delivered him. On the contrary, he tells us that he worships the Lord by praising Him. By praising Him, by thanking Him, by adoring Him. Folks, that should speak volumes to us about what our attitude should be towards God when we suffer. It doesn't matter how bad your circumstances are. Worship is the way a believer in Christ should respond to the Lord under any circumstances. We are to praise him. regardless of how difficult our lives might be, regardless of whether you feel like praising Him or not. Do it anyway, because that's what Scripture says. And that's what we read throughout the Word, that when we suffer, God calls us to praise Him. For example, to the suffering Jewish people to whom the book of Hebrews is directed, we read in Hebrews 13, verse 15. These were people who suffered. Through him then, let us continually offer up sacrifices of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips that give thanks to his name. To the Thessalonians who were persecuted for their faith, pretty much as soon as they were saved, they were born again into persecution. Paul wrote this in chapter 1, verse 6, you also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit. When they received the word, they suffered. Paul says at the end of his letter to the Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 18, in everything give thanks. Notice, in everything. You mean even the tribulation? Yes, in everything give thanks. This is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. You want to know God's will for your life? In everything give thanks. It's part of it. And I remind you it was Paul and Silas who, when thrown into jail in the city of Philippi because of the gospel, they started singing about midnight hymns of praise to God, even though they were physically suffering. So you see, worship is to be our response to the Lord, regardless of our circumstances. Why is that? Well, the reason for such worship at all times is simply because, note this, God is worthy. God is worthy of our worship. By virtue of the fact of who He is, what He is like, and what He does. It's not a matter of our circumstances, it's a matter of who He is. And He never changes in His character. And that's where His Word gives us guidance. Because praises to God must be based on the truth about Him. What His character is really like. His attributes. We need to know what we're praising Him for. For example, His holiness, to be praised for that. His sovereignty, to be praised for that. His love, His compassion, His wisdom, on and on it goes. And the only way you will ever know the attributes that He possesses is by the Word of God revealing them to you. That's precisely why after the psalmist says in verse 108, that he's worshiping the Lord with freewill offerings of praise. He ends this verse, notice, by stating a request for God to teach him his word. And teach me your ordinances. See, he wants God to teach him his word so that he knows how to properly worship him. Because it's in the word where God reveals his character. Folks, this is why when our Lord had a conversation with a Samaritan woman in John chapter 4, when he was witnessing to her, He understood exactly where she was coming from. She was a Samaritan, which means that she was a mixture of a Jewish background, a mixture of Gentile background, and a whole religious system had arisen in Samaritan worship. She didn't know the whole truth about God. She knew some truth, some truth from the Old Testament, but not a lot. So Jesus said to her, God is spirit. and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." What did he mean by that? Well, the worship of God in spirit has to do with having the right spirit, having the right attitudes, the right heart, the right internal attitude towards God. That's what worship requires. But the worship of God in truth has to do with worshiping God based on the truth of His Word, the truth about Him. And you will only know the truth about Him because the Word tells you the truth about Him. Listen, the psalmist is right. Absolutely. God's Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. God is not hiding His will from you. He wants you to know His will for your life, and so He has revealed His will in the Word. in the Word, where it tells you how to live righteously in an unrighteous world, in the Word, where it tells you how to draw strength from God when you are suffering, in the Word, where it tells you how to worship Him for who He is. But your responsibility is to open your Bible, or in this day and age, turn your tablet on, and you have to be disciplined to read it, to study it, to apply it to your life. James tells us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. So do that. Do that. And make some promises to the Lord about areas you struggle in. But if you don't know Christ as your Savior, you don't know Jesus as your Lord, I want you to know you're still walking in darkness. No matter how smart you might be, no matter how well-educated you might be, you're walking in darkness. So come to the light. Come to Jesus Christ. Trust Him for your salvation. See yourself a sinner. Christ died for sinners. That's what His death was about. He was paying the price for sinners as the Father was judging Him in the place of sinners. See yourself as a sinner. See Christ's death on the cross and turn to Him and trust Him and then let Him be your guide. But the first thing He guides you to do is to know Him. to be saved, to be rescued, to be forgiven of your sins. Father, thank you for this, your word, which, Lord, guides us. I pray for everyone here who knows you. that they will take to heart these truths and get into the word and not try to determine your will by silly methods but by the plain hard work of reading the Bible and thinking and studying and applying it. I pray for those who don't know Christ that you'll open their hearts that they might come to know you Lord for how wonderful you are, how precious What a great friend and Savior and Lord and King you really are. We pray this all in Christ's name.