Psalm 119

Read Psalm 119:1-32

“…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Do you believe the law of God is good? Not in some distant sense, but do you actually believe that the law of God is good for you?

When I read the psalm I feel just like my father Adam: I often fail to trust that our heavenly Father gives good gifts. It seems crazy when I think back to all of the Ebenezer stones that the Lord has placed in my life and remember the good Father that He’s always shown Himself to be. Even though we read His rules and statutes we still believe by our actions that the Lord is withholding something good from us.

We can probably relate a lot to the psalmist in verse 25 when he says,

“My soul clings to the dust”

But just like the psalmist, our story doesn’t end there. The Spirit within us cries:

“give me life according to your word!”

It’s easy to read the Torah and keep it at a nice safe distance, neat and tidy. But like a nourishing meal God's spoken word is made to be consumed and savored, restoring us and making our eyes bright again even when it’s sometimes a bit hard to swallow. The living Word Jesus reminds us,

“The thief comes only to kill steal and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Our Father isn’t withholding anything good from us, but invites us to sit at His table and be satisfied! Letting the richness of God's word seep into the marrow of our bones is where He breaths life into us anew and we become living creatures. When we meditate on the law, when we ponder who God is as our psalmist does, it bears fruit and changes us. The law isn’t made simply to be gazed upon, but to be lived out!

As participants in Gods grand narrative we have a story we choose to believe every day. Will we cling to the dust, or will we cry out, asking our Father to breath life into us according to His word?  

 

-- Chris Weiland