Observation: I'll admit there's a lot about Psalm 119 that rubs me the wrong way. Hey, I'm a Lutheran. I believe God's grace alone saves us, not our ability to follow God's law. And along comes a 176-verse-long acrostic love poem devoted to divine statutes and rules. What's not to love? But in an age where we are so ready to reinvent the wheel, there is worth in knowing that real wisdom is timeless.
Application: I'm a bit of an individualist sometimes. As a musician I'm mostly self-taught. I've never been especially gracious about receiving unsolicited advice... I'm trying to get better about that. Often in order to really learn something, I have to learn it the hard way. What I take from Psalm 119 is that life doesn't have to be like that. You don't have to learn everything the hard way. I still believe the Bible is primarily a book about Grace. But it's also a book with some timeless wisdom and guidance, that can save us, and those with whom we interact, a lot of heartbreak if we're willing to trust God more than ourselves. That's a hard sell for me some days, but if I reflect on it, as the Psalm says, it makes sense.
Prayer: God, help me trust you and do things your way, dare I say it, the first time around. Amen.
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