the aim

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me! Psalm 119:1-8 NLT

The Psalmist is energized by God’s intended purposes, guidelines, and boundaries for life. He is sure that these will result in a full life—it is a joyful life. He speaks of living life according to God’s statutes as livable and yet he earns “Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees.” He does not regard a full life as unattainable and yet he recognizes his own distance from it. There is no question of his being arrogant about his own moral achievements but he does not dismiss God’s commands as unlivable. He sees them as the aim of a life well lived and the aim of a joyful life. He falls short but never abandons his aim in favor of a lesser one. He does not give up on God’s intent. He fully pursues the full life. He experiences shame but it does not derail him from this attitude and pursuit. He does not try to go it alone, to achieve it in order to be acceptable to God, but he cries out “please don’t give up on me!” “Never abandon me!” Life is right when we find ourselves in the place where we are desperately dependant on God, dizzy with excitement about the full life God offers us, and determined to live that life through the presence and provision of God.