A Look at Psalm 119:29

Psalm 119:29 “Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.”
 

Jesus is not only the way, the truth, and the life, He is also the only way into truth and life. Jesus is truth. The best way to be kept from deceitful ways is to go into Jesus. We need to become so absorbed with Him that we never want to come out into the flesh again. 

David prayed, “Keep me from deceitful (lying) ways.” The only reason for a lie to continue is to protect the liar from others discovering who he/she really is. Its source is pride. Pride is the basis for all deceit. 

It is entirely possible that the only way to keep from deceitful ways is through the humbling of oneself. However, this humbling of ourselves becomes a problem if we fear how God will respond to us. We may even avoid humbling ourselves out of fear of what God may put us through. We forget too easily that, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
 

David then says, “Be gracious to me through your law.” “Be gentle with me Lord.” We are interesting creatures. When we are not very kind to God, we think He will respond to us in kind. God never responds to us according to what we deserve. He is full of grace and mercy. He gives grace to those who humble themselves. 

The word “law” here means “teach.” Teach me graciously so that there are no deceitful ways in me. Jesus can teach us! In Mathew 11:29, we read, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle [gracious] and humble [no deceitfulness] in heart.” We need never worry about what will happen to us when we humble ourselves, for God is very gracious to us. 

I encourage you to take some time to pray over this. Meditate on this verse, then ask God to help you become more and more like the One who is humble and gracious.

Continued