Praying the Psalms: Psalm 119

When it comes to Psalms, 119 is a doozy. In my little pocket Message translation, it takes seven pages to get through it (must have taken Eugene weeks!)

For all it’s length, it can be summed up thus: “the wisdom for my heart, my heart and my hands comes from God and is found in His Word”.

We stray. We search unproductive places for the pick-me-up or calm reassurance that the hell-bent path we may be on is ok. If someone, anyone, can tell us ‘it’s ok, your unholy, unfaithful or disobedient trajectory is quite understandable, keep doing it’, then we can plunder on.

In fact, the longer we keep ourselves from God’s best for us, from His instruction, from feeding on his Word, the easier it will be for us to find ample reinforcement from the world around us that our actions, words and decisions are reasonable enough.

That’s the disconnect right there.

The 176 verses aren’t looking for an escape clause. They’re not seeking to justify a particular course of action. They remind the reader of their compass.

What is that compass? Well, pretty much every one of those 176 verses contains a synonym for the Tora: God’s Word. His law, ways, commandments, precepts, statutes, testimonies, rules, ways…they’re all there.

How do we stay pure? By guarding our hearts according to God’s Word. By treasuring up God’s Word in our hearts.

How do we stay blameless? By walking according to God’s instructions.

How do we keep scorn and contempt at bay? By keeping His law.

How do we remain undaunted as others deride us? We discover how God sees us and we define ourselves as he defines us. We delight in His identification of us.

The psalmist doesn’t assume to know all this. He asks for knowledge. He seeks understanding. And he comes to a repository crafted by His creator.

Where are you heading for direction? To whom are you giving direction and what is the source of the direction that you’re providing?

Psalm 119 is a corrective for anyone barking up the wrong tree for direction, affirmation and security. More than this, it’s a celebration of the clarity, wisdom, identity and salvation that can be found in His Word to us – most perfectly expressed in Jesus. IT’s an echo of what God speaks over you today.

– Simon Elliott