Meditations on Psalm 119

Introduction - Along with the two guys I meet with for breakfast, accountability, and encouragement on Thursdays, we are working our way through Psalm 119 together starting this week.  While working my way through the first 16 verses in preparation for our meeting, these thoughts came to mind:

I first came upon Psalm 119 during my first year of Summer Bible Camp.  The ironic thing about Camp was that I was 25 years old, and one of the volunteer camp couselors from our church singles group.  I had never been to camp growing up, and even though I went to Sunday School growing up, I did not come to acknowledge Jesus as my Lord and Savior until I was 24.

At camp, the Junior High kids whom we were responsible for had memory verses to learn, including Psalm 119:9, "How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word;, and 119:11, "I have stored up ('hidden' in the NIV, which was in vogue at the time) your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

Since then, I've spent a lot of time over the years in Psalm 119, and because my life has changed so much since I was 25 (in 1991), I've come to appreciate how my application and apprectiation for the Psalm has changed over the years.

The Psalm itself

Of course, the meaning does not change, I do.  Psalm 119, although not specifically credited to David, does make me think of David.  A young man has written about the joys and benefits of walking with God.  In poetic form, each section corresponds to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet, and each verse in a particular section begins with the letter of that alphabet:  The first 8 verses are section "Aleph", and each verse begins with that letter, the next section is Beth, and so on.  But enough about textbook analysis, how has this verse changed me?

 In my 20s

 Loving God's Word and desiring to do His will is a natural, spontaneous next step after embracing who Christ is and what He has done.  That's called Progressive Sanctification, and God was blessing me.  I loved going to church, loved my new Bible, and loved to learn.  The first 16 verses fit my life well.  "How can a young man keep his way pure?"  I was a young man, and I've asked that question, how can I keep my purity?  Of course the Bible provides answers to our questions!   In other places we read, "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you," and "I will delight in your statutes..."  Psalm 119 is a great Psalm for a new believer who is excited about the things of God.

In my 30s

 It doesn't happen overnight, even when the big 3 - 0 hits, but it happens.  I don't feel like such a young man anymore.  Friends come and go, but responsibilities accumulate:  Being a husband, being a father, managing a career (if nothing else, to keep food, clothing, and shelter coming), church, extended family, etc., etc., and life gets hard.  But, it is not all bad, a lot of it is good:  a good marriage, great kids, and stability.  God talks about stability in Psalm 119:  verse 4 says, "You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently."  The word diligent can mean "to work long and hard to finish a task."  Verse 5 says, "Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes."  Steadfast can mean "firmly established."  Could it be that consistenly being under the things of God with a happy heart, as suggested in Psalm 119, can help bring about stability and contentedness in the daily grind of life?  Of course it can.

In my 40s (today)

 As I write this, I feel a renaissance in my life for many reasons.  Our church has a new lead pastor, my wife and I are encouraging each other as we are well-ensconsed into exercise and healthy eating, our kids are mid-elementary age and it is an exciting time (especially in our homeschool lifestyle), our church small group is fantastic, we have leadership positions because we are responsible for 1st grade Sunday School, we've persevered through business and financial trials, all adding up to a season of blessing.  Today I feel better physically, spiritually, and mentally than I have in a long, time.  Psalm 119 has a lot to say.  The tone of the psalm is upbeat.  "The joy of obedience," as John MacArthur says.  My children are young children, so now add teaching them about how a young man (and young woman) can keep their ways pure in addition to teaching myself.  My life is busy, so I have to remind myself about they excitement of being in the word and doing as it says - otherwise, I can be tempted to take shortcuts and call it time savings.  We have a reading space set up in the corner of our sunroom, good for Bible study (as long as it is not wintertime, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there).  Amy Grant once sang, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path..."  Again, not in a drudgery, lamenting song, but a hymn of worship.  Oh, the joy of the Psalmist as he wrote out Psalm 119!

In my 50s

I've got 7 1/2 years before I get there.  Let's not rush anything.  May the Lord find me faithful.  Amen.

Every so often, when browsing blogs, I come across an entry like this:

I haven't written for a while, but I'm writing now...

Now it is my turn.  Here's why you should read my entry:

Because being a really good homeschool husband and dad is time consuming work.  Not complaining, mind you, except that I admire and envy (in a sanctified way, of course) hard working moms and wives who manage to juggle parenting, teaching, and holding down the home front and living to tell about it!

So, inspired by your example, I pledge to do a better job of writing from the husband and father point of view, to hopefully encourage all of us, make us laugh, and challenge us.

If nothing else, to help my Darling Bride know what I'm thinking, because that's why I started this anyway.

Growing up, Christmas routine was generally the same, and it became a cherished tradition for me:

Christmas Eve, we would go to my Grandparents' house and have punch, cookies, and presents!  We had gift exchange for my whole mom's side of the family that night. 

The next morning, my brother and parents had Christmas morning with Santa's visit.  Later we would visit my dad's side of the family at my other Grandmother's.

Finally back to my mom's parents for Christmas dinner with aunts and uncles.

This tradition is cherished to me because it endured my parents' divorce and was a light at the end of the tunnel of a very challenging childhood.  Grandparents and extended family helped carry the burdens of growning up.  It was also consistent because for the most part, both parents' extended families all lived in town.  This tradition extended as far back as I remember, with an occasional exception here and there, through my first above mentioned Grandmother's passing in 1999.

The most memorable and best part was Christmas Eve.  That was the climax.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, food, toys and other presents for all, and knowing that this was done last year and would be done this year, no matter what family life and the torture of John Wood Elementary School and Aylesworth Middle School would throw my way.

Nowadays, remnants of the past are incorporated into the best of the present.  This past Sunday my Mom, brother, and one uncle and his family came back and we had "Christmas Eve."  This Christmas Eve at my wife's parents.  Christmas at our house.  Worshipping Jesus, the Reason for the Season this past Sunday.  My prayer is that my family, wife children, and I will someday look back upon these years just as fondly.

As Christmas routines change as time demands they will, we all ought to strive to be blessings to one another.  This truly is the most wonderful time of the year. 

Inspired by my much better half, My Darling Bride has begun blogging about her personal goals for 2008.  Link to Darling Bride's Goals. 

She made a wise observation about some of our most important goals, such as Bible reading, prayer, eating well, and exercise:  We don't achieve these goals and stop, we keep going.  So, for 2008, I purpose to work through a Personal Mission Statement and Priorities that I've already written, and find specific ways to act on them and specific Bible verses to memorize about them.

Here's my Personal Mission Statement and Priorities:

I live dependently upon Jesus Christ and interdependently with others.

To that end, I prioritize:

I cultivate love and fellowship with God through listening to Him as I read His Bible, talking to Him in prayer, trusting in the person and work of Jesus Christ, living a Spirit filled life, and commitment to a local church, to the glory of God. 

I am a servant/leader of my household consistent with Biblical Principles.  To fulfill that calling from God:

• I joyfully love (my wife) and proactively fulfill our marriage and family covenant by serving and leading us according to God's Word, so that our marriage would model Christ's relationship to His Chruch, we would mutally complete one another to experience companionship, and we would multiply a Godly legacy.
• I also encourage and build up (my wife) to empower her goals of Biblical Womanhood and her relationships with God and others.
• (My wife) and I love (DS1, DD, and DS2), and we bring them up in the love, mercy, discipline, and instruction of the Lord, to provide a Godly family culture encouraging them to grow up discovering, nurturing, and fulfilling God's purposes and plans for each of their lives.

Regarding my vocation, I work at an elite level of excellence and high level of obedience that makes others around me better and calls attention to God.  Worthwhile work is:

• Serving God by serving and influencing others:  customers, coworkers, vendors, whomever God sends my way;
• A stewardship to create profitability for my company;
• A conduit of provding means for my family;
• A model of responsibility and diligence for my children, family, and others I influence;
• Access to the culture as an ambassador for Chirst.

We work together to be good stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us, fulfilling Biblical mandates for managing what we have.

I strive to overcome my task oriented tendenices by cultivating strong relationships between me and my extended family, friends, and circle of influence through encouraging, building up, being friendly, serving, and personal evangelism.

I take care of myself through persevering through trials, managing the events of my life well, physical fitness, seeking wisdom, and taking time for rest, relaxation, fun, and humor, so that I live a healthy and balanced life.

Barbara Walters has said something that makes no sense, even though it may sound logical at first.

According to a top of the hour radio newscast I heard, Walters is criticizing President and Mrs. Bush's Christmas card (the one they send out to people).  The criticism focuses on the inclusion of a Scripture / Bible verse in the card.  Walters argues that the President "of all the people" should not do this because the card alienates agnostics, athiests, muslms, hindus...

The implication is that a Christmas Holiday Card would please everyone if it said nothing.  Problem is, saying nothing is still saying something.  Exclude a Bible Verse:  alienate a Christian.  Exclude something from the Koran, Book of Mormon, etc...you get the idea.

I wonder if Ms. Walters is more concerned about herself than "all the people."  If so, don't let her speak for us.  Nobody, even the President, can please everyone.  Neither can Barbara's suggestion of silence, which I would politely suggest to her.

"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."  1 John 4:10

Darling Bride and I figured out Christmas Business last night.  Stress does not come from all the things we get to do during Christmas time, stress comes because we still have to do everything else besides!  If we could just put life on hold while we usher in "the most wonderful time of the year" then we'd have something.

For me, I get the week between Christmas and New Year's off as one of my vacation weeks.  That's nice.

This past weekend I helped set the record breaking debut of the Will Smith movie, I am Legend.  I regret having done so.  Here's what happened:

Sunday was a mountaintop day:  Church was fantastic!  My oldest son had his first singing solo as part of the Christmas ensemble.  He sang in the morning, and again in the evening for the Christmas concert.  The rest of worship was A-1.  Preaching is great.  Even the weather, even though the "weather outside was frightful," we made it to church.

After the evening concert, some of the guys were going to the movie and I was invited along.  It's great to have impromptu men's fellowship with other believers, so I jumped at the chance with Darling Bride's sincere blessing. 

The problem is that I spend Sunday filling my mind with worship, spiritual songs, praise, and the joy of my son't efforts paying off.  In between services, a quiet day at home.  Then, BANG!  I find myself bombarded with images of people mutated by bad viruses, crashing cars, assault rifles, grenades, and other unsavory things.  So, my thoughts when I went to bed were about that, instead of all the good stuff I put in.

It's a shame that all the good got usurped by one impulse decision that went wrong.  I'm sure there's a moral there somewhere. 

Either that, or as Darling Bride told me last night, "The Sunday School song is right...'Be careful little eyes what you see...'"

The Lottery has invaded our house.  Here's how:  Our insurance agent sends birthday cards to his clients.  With the card is a scratch off lottery ticket.  This month Darling Bride got a ticket and won $20.00.  When I cashed it in for her at the grocery store, I also bought some groceries, and had $2.00 left over to buy 2 chances in the Hoosier Lottery.

That's when things went wrong.  The Hoosier Lottery was up to $53 million dollars.  I started thinking about what we'd do with the money:  pay off debts, buy a new car withput rust, invest in growth stock mutual funds with a 10 year track record of 12% return, buy a homesteading farm, take vacations, buy clothes, tithe like crazy, buy a vacation home in Michigan, never worry about making ends meet again, and generally live the good life of a relaxed homeschooling family that doesn't have to work for a living.

The idolotry and non-dependence upon God kicks in.  I start thinking about Wednesday night's drawing more than I think about God, Jesus, the Bible, my church, my wife, my kids, my job, my cat, our praying manis, and our cricket colony.  I fantasize about the big check, the fame, the fortune...

Imagine!  There are people who do this everyday with their grocery money.  What a mess!  I can't live this way. 

After next week I'll stop.  I matched two of the six numbers, so I won a free ticket for this weekend's drawing.

In anticipation of my Darling Bride's birthday today, my mother in law, http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/bakerswife, has been presenting slide shows of my Darling Bride when she was a girl.  This got me to thinking.

Once upon a time Darling Bride, you, all our friends, and I were little girls and boys.  Then we grew up, and it seemed to take forever.

Today our darling children, all their friends, are little (or not so little) girls and boys.  They will grow up, and it will seem to take but a moment.

We grew up, and so will they.  Birthdays ought to be a happy time to celebrate the past present and future.

Happy Birthday Darling Bride!