"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play…it is war minus the shooting."
Running
I run in the path of your commands. Ps 119:32The Great North Run is a half-marathon, which in 2017,Mo Farah won in just over an hour. 43,000 others ran a little bit more slowly.
The Psalmist’s thought of running in God’s path is striking. In verse 30 we read: “I have chosen the way of faithfulness”. You don’t run a half marathon by accident, it is a deliberate choice. Similarly the Psalmist has chosen to run in God’s paths, in the way of faithfulness. At times it is hard. The psalmist admits (v 28) that he is “weary with sorrow”. Sometimes running on God’s path is not easy. We need stamina, steadiness and stickability.
What does it mean to run in God’s path? Verses 41-48 give us some help to understand this:
I trust in your law (v42);
I have put my hope in your laws (v43);
I will always obey your law (v44);
I have sought out your precepts (v 45);
I will speak of your statutes (v46);
I delight in your commands (v47).
Running in God’s path is a lifestyle choice. It is intentional. It involves applying God’s standards to all we do. It is striking that it is not a chore for the Psalmist but a delight. And the result for the Psalmist - and for us – is to walk about in freedom.