Psalm 119: 129-136 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 119: 129-136 on biblegateway.com
Verse 129Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.
Verse 130The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
Verse 131With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments.
Verse 132Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward those who love your name.
Verse 133Keep my steps steady according to your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me.
Verse 134Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts.
Verse 135Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.
Verse 136My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is not kept.
Devotion
We receive nourishment from God's wisdom through our study and contemplation of the word. What could be more important than the search for understanding? What would life be like without some kind of framework to bring it into focus—without a refuge to retreat to or a day of rest? God's statutes shape our shared life by giving us structure, but also insisting that we play within the space that God provides. So not only do we receive understanding and hope in the midst of complexity, but beyond that we witness God's glory—God's face shines upon us in moments of appreciation and awe. Still, as Karen Baker-Fletcher warns us, life is not simply a “gorgeous celebratory event.” The end of this psalm also reminds us of this. Through witnessing God's glory we are pulled into relationship with the downcast and dispossessed, from whom we hear Jesus' voice calling out for justice from the cross.
Prayer
God of understanding, let your word open our minds to what we cannot in and of ourselves come to believe, without you and your presence in our neighborhood. Amen.