161 Princes persecute me without cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your words.
162 I rejoice at Your [bt]word,
As one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and despise falsehood,
But I love Your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous ordinances.
165 Those who love Your law have great peace,
And [bu]nothing causes them to stumble.
166 I hope for Your salvation, O Lord,
And do Your commandments.
167 My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
168 I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.
When I first read verse 164, I read it as “seven days a week I praise You…” But that’s obviously not what it says. Seven times, every day, I praise You. This is followed up by “Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.” Throughout all these verses, the theme is consistency and intentionality.
When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he may have had this passage in mind when he told them, “always seek to do good… Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all things.” Nothing changes our mindset quite like giving God thanks and praise. No matter what is going on, whether “princes persecute you without cause” or your tire just went flat in the middle of nowhere, give Him praise.
Be like as consistent as a (good) clock, and regularly fix your mind on things above–that is, on the things of God, on His heart, His motivation, His will in your life. It’s easy to get off course when our head is put down to the grindstone, but we need to lift our eyes often so we can correct course if needed. Don’t limit your thoughts of God to once a week at church, don’t even limit them to your daily devotions.
Like Daniel of old, turn your eyes to Heaven multiple times a day, seeking His direction, and thanking God for what He has done and what He is doing in your life.