I am beyond grateful for this season of reflection and study on Psalm 119. It is a lengthy section of scripture, rich in format details and meaning that like all scripture has timeless application. No less than 10 times in this Psalm, David prays that God would give him understanding and rightly comprehend and learn the divine teaching. This is also my prayer as I delve deeply into this scripture. I want not only to appreciate the teaching, but I want to meditate on how this has targeted application for me today, in such a time as this.
Psalm 119 is beautifully structured. Indulge me for a moment as the English teacher in me must highlight a few elements that may not be easily noticed. It is unique that this Psalm uses of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote/title each stanza. All the stanzas have eight lines, and each line of the stanza begins with the same word. These traits alone make this Psalm a powerful work of art. Psalm 119 uses eight words repeatedly to describe God’s Word. All eight of these words are used in each stanza. The structure itself shows majesty in the writing. This kind of writing that takes a Master’s! Like all of God’s creation, there is completeness and beauty to behold here. All this noted and I haven’t even mentioned the power of the content in this Psalm!
Studying Psalm 119 at this specific time in our nation’s journey of what feels like perpetual tug of war about whether this “nation of laws” has or hasn’t been on the right track holds a unique space for consideration. Our nation has been struggling with growing conflict and dark hate filled words for years and the most recent election season has only served to magnify this. There seems to be a constant battle about what the law says, which laws are right, who determines what the law allows, and how the law will be applied to a given individual or group of people. What a mess we have when our ways are not aligned with God’s ways! So, for as tangled as our national stance on law has become, I want to be certain that I am rightly aligned with the supreme law of God. This is only possible if I am consistently engaged in God’s Word.
It is the first stanza of Psalm 119 that calls me to mediate, think deeply and pursue daily application of God’s Word. Starting each devotional time with this first stanza of this Psalm prompts me to align my heart and mind to seek the light that is present in any scripture. As the old hymn reminds us, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet . . .”, I want to be sure I see and seek the divine light of the Word, the promises of God, and all His law requires of me, as circumstances swirl across daily life.
I encourage you to read Psalm 119 and try beginning your devotional time by first re-reading just the first stanza of this powerful writing. My prayer is that we, as believers, will grow solidly aligned with all the law of our great God. This is the way to see change overtake our land, strengthen our connections of man’s law to God’s law and bring revival to our nation. Let God’s Word stir our hearts and minds as never before and bring us hope renewed!
