My soul clings to the dust;
revive me according to your word.
When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
Put false ways far from me,
and graciously teach me your law.
I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your ordinances before me.
I cling to your decrees, O Lord;
let me not be put to shame.
I run the way of your commandments,
for you enlarge my understanding.
I run the same path as your commandments
because you give my heart insight.
I run along the path of your commands,
for you enable me to do so.[m]
I will run the way of your commandments,
for you will broaden my heart.
I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart![a]
I love the psalms and Psalm 119 is in some ways especially special to me because it talks about living in the oftentimes difficult, gruesome, dust and death of life, and doing so with God’s Word in hand. That is where I live day after day.
This section of Psalm 119, entitled dalet (transliteration of the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet which for whatever reason I can’t figure out how to share here on WordPress) is so down to earth, down in the dust, in the dread, discouragement, defeat and dismay of this life.
Any reader may see me as a glass half empty guy, or maybe seeing a glass with nothing in it at all. No. There is much to delight in, enjoy, and marvel at in this life. And we ought to, we need to. Just the same, life carries with it challenges which at times can be overwhelming and even feel dangerous. This is after all a mortal existence.
Part of that as we see in this section is our own making. But much of it is living in a broken world that is wrong in so many ways, and all the more so when that wrong seems right to so many. I’m referring now to systemic matters, systemic evil in a world system contrary to the shalom that is God’s will.
But the end. The end of this section comes across to me as promise, that God will enlarge or broaden our hearts to do better, to actually “run in the way, the path of God’s commandments.” That comes across as doing so fully in both in body and spirit, giving it our all.
And it’s interesting. It seems to me that living in the present mortal, dependent existence and experiencing this enlarging of one’s heart from God go hand in hand. If you want an easy existence, or somehow can live in that, then maybe you’ll miss out on the promise of God here. But there’s no escape from life, at least not from mortality. Though many have it far worse than others. A pampered, relatively luxurious, problem free lifestyle will likely miss out on much. That is not part of the human calling in this world as stewards of all of God’s gifts, and that together, in love. Not part of the calling in Christ.
So, as hard as it is, I take heart in the reality that God is at work to enlarge my heart to do better, to do less of what is not good than I have been prone to do, and more of what is good than what I’ve been able to do before. A promise for us all.
Jesus community 